Home Wrecker
by LadyEmiMarie
Summary: Ever since his Father got caught with another woman and thrown out of the house, cheaters have disgusted Alexander Lightwood. So what is he to do when he falls in love with one? / AU, more chapters to come.
1. Hating Robert Lightwood

Have you ever had one of those days where absolutely nothing goes right? Me too.

I looked outside the Library door miserably. It seemed like the city had been ravaged by a tidal wave during the few hours I'd spent researching. Rain poured down from the overcast sky and if that didn't soak the pedestrians then the spray from the passing cars did.

And there I was about to brave the storm when I hadn't even brought a coat with me that day. I had to resign myself to it though: I had to go outside or I'd be late for work. Of all the mornings that the car wouldn't start it had to be that one. I'd already lost a good chunk of study time waiting for a mechanic to pick up the useless accumulation of scrap metal. Then I had to find another mode of transport.

I was quickly realising that preferring books to the computer was not a good enough reason to go through all the hassle. I should have just done my research at home.

The rain drenched my sweater as soon as I stepped out. To get to work I had to get to the subway. To get to the subway I had to walk against the wind so water blew into my eyes and made the world go fuzzy. I wrapped my arms around myself to try to keep warm. It didn't work.

If my body hadn't been so ridged with cold I might have jumped when a horn sounded off right next to me. Instead I barely managed to turn my head and see the car which was pulling up.

Robert was driving it. He was motioning for me to get in.

The untrained eye might think this was a good thing. 'Your Dad just happened to be there to give you a ride? What good luck!'

Well it wasn't lucky. There were few people in the world that I disliked more than Robert Lightwood; who I would never call Father again. I had no respect for him anymore.

I stared at him through the window; my view of him was distorted by the water on the glass. I couldn't help but think that wasn't any different from the way I'd always seen him. The version of Robert that I knew had always been behind a filter. There was a whole other side to him that I'd only recently met. A side I didn't know and didn't want to know.

He pushed a button and the glass between us slid away; reminding me that I didn't have a choice about how I saw him anymore.

"Alexander, just get in!" He yelled impatiently. It was like I was a little kid being scolded. Like he had any right to do that after what he'd done. But cars were all beeping horns at him now and I couldn't just let him hold up all the traffic. So I got in. I could have used a free ride anyway.

The inside of his car was warm and inviting. Or it would have been if it wasn't for the awful company. It was the same car our family used to travel everywhere in and I had good memories of long our drives together which seemed so long ago now. Playing games with Max to keep him from crying when he was a baby in his car seat, pulling Izzy's plaits out when she was staring at the trees. All that seemed a lifetime away.

By the time I'd shut the door the window was back up and I was sealed in with Robert.

"Are you on your way home?" He asked. Even though his voice was calm there was a tense undercurrent to it. There was always tension between us now. Far too much had gone unsaid for too long.

"Actually I'm going to work." I snapped back. Then realised I hadn't told the man _where_ I worked. "Do you know where Java Jones is?"

He shook his head. I didn't expect him to know. Robert always hated small-time enterprises. You wouldn't ever catch him in one-off store or family owned business. He was all about the brand name. The corporate logo. He'd rather drive three miles for a Starbucks than sit in a mismatched chair and observe the work of talented no-name artists adorning the walls. I loved JJ's. Of course I had loved it more when I was the one drinking coffee instead of serving it.

"You started work?" Robert made it sound like it was shocking. He was trying to be funny the way parents do. Like when they find you making dinner without being asked and pretend that it's a big deal. Granted, I'd never had a job before, but it wasn't as if I _couldn't_ work. Before Robert left I never had to. They'd told me to just make sure I got good grades. But now Mother's salary only just paid the house and utilities. Food, clothing, petrol and school supplies were now down to me and my sister. Because the Angel knew Robert wasn't contributing.

"Take a left here." I said. I wasn't going to dignify his attempt at humour. Nothing about Robert was funny.

We were both quiet for a while. He drove and I gave him directions while I watched the raindrops racing down the window. I remembered sitting in the back during long drives cheering on droplets in a race to the bottom. Mother used to laugh while Robert sat at the wheel with a forced smile plastered on his face. It was always like he wanted to be somewhere else. Now I knew exactly where he had wanted to be. With his mistress.

"I was in the house that day, you know." I informed him. The day that Mother wised up to what was going on and kicked him out I was the only one home. My siblings were out with their friends; it was just me that heard every word of the argument. Out of the three kids I knew the story best. I hoped that the others would never have to know.

"I know." Robert grimaced at the road. He obviously didn't want to talk about it. There was a reason he'd avoided the conversation by keeping Max and Izzy around us all the time. Of course him being uncomfortable only made me want to talk about it more.

"I'd never seen Mother cry before then." I continued. He didn't reply and I hoped that meant I was getting to him.

Robert felt a number of things about his breakup: annoyance at being forced out of his home; worry that his other children would come to hate him like I did. But he didn't feel remorseful like he should have been. He should have been sorry about all those years of cheating.

"You were on the phone when you left. It was to Anna wasn't it?"

We both knew that it was. The day that Mother had screamed him out of the house he was deaf to the sound. He had his mistress talking in his ear like she had been his entire married life and he didn't care what anybody else had to say. Now that he was forced to listen he sped up the car in his haste to drop me off. A large part of me didn't mind. It isn't like I wanted to be around him. In the meantime, though, I wasn't going to play nice. For once my siblings there to make me watch my mouth.

"_She _said you met in college. Her first year, your last one." I started to drum my fingers on my leg. We'd all gotten introduced to 'Annamarie' just two weeks after the breakup. The two of them were all loved up in a house with two bedrooms and a garden for when they had kids of their own. It was wrong. So wrong. As if they'd been waiting to get caught so that they could play house. Anna was one of _those_. You know the type; the ones who want the picket fence and the two point five kids even though it isn't for them. Three children from a previous marriage weren't in her life-plan, nor was dating a married man, but she would gloss over that. Pretend she had the love story. The fairytale. The life she stole from _us_.

"That's right." Robert confirmed while I was lost in my own resentful thoughts. I noticed that I was gritting my teeth and stopped. "Then I fell in love with Anna-"

I made a disgusted noise in my throat. I didn't care that it was rude; I wasn't prepared to hear more of his drivel. It was always the same.

_'You can't help falling in love.' _

_'You can't help who you fall in love with.'_

Him _loving _Annamarie wasn't the problem. The problem was that he had started his relationship with her the very same year he had married our Mother. He thought it was noble to marry her because she was pregnant. What was so righteous about it if he never had any intention of being faithful? It was sickening.

"You must be glad to get out of the family." I said. "You never wanted us."

"That isn't true. I love my kids. You're still my kids." Robert protested. There was a rubbery sound from his hands as he gripped the steering wheel a more tightly.

He was a liar.

"Stop the car." I demanded. We were only a few streets away from JJ's anyway.

"Alexander..." He tried to reason. I had no intention of listening to him.

"Stop the car, Robert." I reiterated. This time I shot him a look and his face hardened into one of his signature stony expressions. We came to a halt at the side of the road.

I got out and slammed the door without another word. A little rain couldn't hurt me, but that man was a home-wrecker.

* * *

**A long-ish introduction, I hope that you'll continue to read. Next Chapter: Meeting Magnus**


	2. Meeting Magnus Bane

"So, what, you just walked from there?" Isabelle called. I was in the back room while she worked the till. I almost wanted to laugh at her. Some high school girls thrived on drama and my sister was without a doubt one of them. She would have to settle for the half-told, edited version of the story, though. She didn't need to know the specifics about my conversation. "You're _way_ too dramatic about the breakup, Alec."

I smiled. Let her think I was overreacting. As long as she didn't go asking me why just yet.

I slid a tray of cookies into the oven. Everything at Java Jones was fresh, none of the packet stuff. I'd gotten a couple crash courses in organic baking from one of the other staff in my first week so I could keep up with restocking but Isabelle was banned from the kitchen. Mainly because she couldn't enter one without producing some kind of abomination. Her brownies were little chocolate crimes against humanity.

"He just kept going on and on, Iz. Anna this, Anna that." I wiped my hands down on the much-hated waist apron which was part of the uniform before I went to join her on the storefront.

She was serving some tall guy with a scarred face. He took two mugs back to a grinning girl with braids who was sat waiting for him in one of the booths. I recognised her from school. Maia Roberts; she took Lit just so that she could stare at Mr Greymark. Not that there was any problem with staring at Mr Greymark…

I shook that thought out of my head and turned back to my sister.

"She _is_ his girlfriend now." Izzy pointed out. Her voice sounded indifferent, sure, but her fingers tugged on end of her long plait uncertainly. She'd had that nervous gesture ever since we were kids. It told me that she wasn't half as comfortable with the situation as she pretended to be.

"And Mother was his wife." I said with finality. Izzy pouted.

My sister had been unfortunate enough to come home before Robert was completely gone. She didn't hear them fighting but she came walking around the corner while her Father was throwing his things into the boot of the car. I could remember her grabbing his arm and asking all the questions I was too shocked to ask at the time.

_'What's going on?'_

_'Where are you going?' _

_'Why is Mother crying?'_

He didn't give her any answers. He had just gotten into the car and sped off, leaving his daughter stood alone in the driveway. Then she looked at me, with her confused black eyes wet with tears. It nearly killed me to see her that way.

"Why don't you go play waiter?" Isabelle said, bringing me back to reality. I glanced around. There were a lot of people at the tables but there was no line for the till. They were probably all hoping the rain would stop before they had to go outside again. I didn't blame them but they really had to order something if they planned to spend so long sitting around.

I sighed and grabbed a notepad and pen from behind the counter. I hated talking to random people but my little sister always staked her claim on the till so that she didn't have to walk around very much. That left me doing most of the work.

"And you should start with that guy over there." Isabelle nodded towards one of the other booths where a man sat alone. He was reading what looked like one of the fashion magazines she always had on her. "He's been checking you out since you got in."

Typical. She was always trying to set me up with random guys. I jabbed her in the side with the pen and scoffed. I love her dearly but she's always been a terrible busybody. Ever since I told her I was gay she'd been trying to arrange dates with everybody and anybody who so much glanced my way.

"Lots of people looked when I came in, Iz. I was dripping puddles onto the floor."

After my walk in the rain I had been soaked to the bone and glad to get into uniform when I arrived. Izzy had huffed and puffed about having to mop up the floor while I was changing so I didn't have much time to towel my hair off. It was only damp by now, most likely curling up all over the place. If anybody was looking at me it was because I looked awful.

I took a look over to the booth anyway. The guy she was talking about was actually stunning. He would have looked better if it weren't for the rainbow stripes and glitter in his black hair. I never much liked that whole 'out and proud' scene. Straight people don't go around with '2QT2BGAY' plastered on their apparel. I didn't need to advertise.

That wasn't all that put me off, either, attractive as he was...

"He must years on me." I said. Apparently Izzy had overlooked that pretty vital bit of information.

"So what? I bet he knows what he's doing." She smirked. Okay so she hadn't overlooked it. She was just ignoring it. Like I was ignoring her. Nobody wants to hear their baby sister talking like that. "You should ask him out."

"Or I could, you know, not?" I said, throwing in an eye roll for good measure. Izzy often had these not-so-masterful master-plans. She gave me a stern look, which was actually more funny than threatening.

"If you don't, I'm asking him for you." She said.

The _actual_ threat was just horrifying enough to get me walking. Isabelle could not be trusted with that sort of thing. You never knew what she would say or do besides that it wouldn't be good. She grinned triumphantly as I headed towards the guy's booth. I was _so _going to get her. Maybe put green dye in her shampoo.

As I walked I felt like I was going to trip over myself any moment. Being myself something was bound to go horribly wrong. It was stupid to be nervous, I knew. I was just going to ask if he needed a refill and move on to the next customer. Nothing more. If I made a little small talk I could go back and tell Izzy he wasn't interested without her knowing I didn't ask. Fool proof, right? Wrong.

Eventually I was stood next to him. His hand glinted when he slipped it into his pocket, when it emerged again I noticed that he wore glittered nail polish. _Somebody_ liked sparkles.

"Hey there, can I get you anything?" I said in my happy 'work voice' with a nod towards his nearly-empty coffee. He smiled at me. He had a great smile. His yellow-green eyes were bright and... I looked down at the notepad.

"That, blue eyes, is an awful pickup line." He said with some amusement. When I snapped back to looking at him I must have seemed like a deer caught in headlights. It made him laugh. How embarrassing.

"It wasn't a-"

"I was expecting something like: 'Sorry, it's just you look a lot like my next boyfriend'." He smirked when he interrupted my defence. Well… That was the last thing I expected.

I took a panicked glance over to my sister who was observing without a trace of worry.

"I'm just going to go." I excused myself, feeling nothing short of mortified. Sod customer service. The customer was being unreasonable. How was I meant to string a coherent sentence together with him talking like that? With him talking at all. He had this smooth voice with a thick accent. Not the annoying kind which keeps you from understanding somebody; the kind you want to listen to forever.

Before I could leave his fingers wrapped around my upper arm. He was firm about it when he turned me back around, but not forceful. Even so if it had been somebody else I might have just hit them off.

"Hey now, don't just run off." He purred. "You came here with something to say, didn't you?"

It took me a second or two to recover and try to defend myself again. It was an awful attempt. "What? No. I'm just making the rounds."

"Your sister isn't very quiet." He said. Didn't I know it? "Should I go ask _her_ for your number?"

I blinked at him. There was no way the words I had heard were the ones he'd said. He shook his head when I didn't say anything and grabbed a napkin from the holder on his table.

"You need to relax." He told me, then plucked the pen right from my hand and proceeded to jot down some numbers. His number. Underneath he wrote his name in a jagged sort of cursive: Magnus Bane. Xx.

"I'm Alec." It sounded so stupid saying it out loud like that when 'Magnus' didn't _actually_ introduce himself. He touched his fingers to my chest and I think I felt my heart stop. Mostly in alarm. Then I realised he was only touching my nametag.

"Not 'Alexander'?" He asked with a slight frown. I shook my head, glad that the conversation had taken a more normal turn.

"My sister got it printed that way." I scowled. Izzy had found it really funny at the time. "Only my Mother calls me that."

Magnus laughed again and handed me the pen and napkin. "Well, 'Alec', make sure you text me."

I heard Isabelle squealing when he dropped me a wink. How in the hell are you supposed to react to that? Nothing clever sprang to mind.

And nothing average sprang to mind.

Nothing _at all _sprang to mind.

Then he was up from his seat and heading for the exit. All I could say was "Bye."

I've never had much of a way with words. There was no time to dwell on it though; Maia was flagging me over to her table.

* * *

**A big thank you for reading. I promised myself I'd leave more time between posting but this was already written so why not? Next up: 'The Little Things'**


	3. The Little Things

I sighed as I shut down my laptop. I had been online getting an idea about how we would get to school the next day without the car. Now it was very late and if I wanted to sleep at all I'd have no time for any homework. I thought about the teachers I had that day and if I could get away with it. Izzy always got away with not doing hers for some reason. She probably wouldn't have done the work even if we'd gotten home at the usual time. She was more of a last-minute kind of person.

Now I knew what time we had to be ready to leave in the morning I sent her a text to let her know. Yeah, I know it was lazy. I didn't want to go moving around and waking everybody up though. If I'd gone into Izzy's room she would have flipped out about beauty sleep or whatever.

I always told her she didn't have to focus too much on looking good but she'd only point out that not only did I have a brotherly obligation to say that kind of thing but I also didn't know what attracted guys to girls. That wasn't entirely true. I knew. I just didn't agree.

It would have been pretty hard convincing the guys at school I was straight if I didn't at least _know_.

I placed the laptop onto the floor curled up on my side. I gave up on that a year ago. Convincing them I mean. Most of them didn't mind when I came out. At least I didn't think they did. Not that much. I mean we shared a locker room… If you know an effective way telling guys you've _showered_ with that you like men I would love to hear it.

I think it helped that I was just... Normal. No sterotypes: No rainbows or musicals or fashion sense. Just the same Alec I'd always been. People like me get overlooked. I thought it was better that way. Less hyporitic than people who make plees for acceptance and equality when all they do is try to stand out. Though if Isabelle had her way I'd be walking around with a flashing 'IMRU?' sign.

She hadn't stopped pestering me about guys all shift. It had been a long night between that and my own non-stop musings. I kept thinking about things I could have said to Magnus instead of what I _actually_ said. I couldn't possibly text him after an introduction like ours.

I looked at my phone in consideration. The screen was too bright so I put it back down.

No. I could not contact him. I'd embarassed myself so badly that he had to have been messing with me. I wondered if maybe he'd given me fake digits. I probably would have if I were him.

My sister didn't possess any of my doubt. In fact all the way home on the subway Izzy had been trying to send him a text. I had to keep dodging and pulling my things out of reach. She'd managed to grab my phone and she'd gotten hold of the number; but thankfully never both at the same time.

In the unlikely event that it was his actual number there was no way I could let her get it. She was embarrassing and I think I'd proved that I was quite capable of embarrassing myself without her aid.

She had whined about it all the way back home, waving her arms animatedly while I held on to her heels. She'd gotten fed up and taken them off as soon as we were above ground. I'd never understand why she wore them to work. Or to anything that wasn't a special occasion. Mother wore hers all the time too so I always put it down to being another weird girl thing that I wasn't supposed to unsderstand and left it at that.

Before we stepped inside I reminded Isabelle that I would tell her if anything happened. That much was actually true. We told each other everything. We always had ever since we were little. The only thing I ever kept a secret was what I knew about the divorce.

We had developed a 'no guy-talk in the house' rule a long time ago. Those were conversations that we never wanted our parents to overhear. Funnily enough we had the same reason for that. We didn't want to be judged for our tastes. Granted all Izzy had to worry about was the: 'Musician? Were is that going to get him?' Talk and not the: 'He? He's a he?' Talk, but the point remained.

We needen't have worried about being overheard that night. When we entered Mother was already asleep on the couch. All the lights were off but the TV was on. The living room was illuminated by the screen, an eerie light which shifted shape and colour with the picture. I switched it off and felt static on my hand.

Mother never used to like the television. She would always be reading instead. The bookcase was full of things she could have read. All her favourites. Robert hadn't even touched the books on his way out. But I guessed she was finding it hard to concentrate on printed words now. It was easier to get lost in moving pictures.

I squinted at the wall clock. It was pretty late. I wondered when she'd fallen asleep.

Isabelle was about to creep in after me but I waved her upstairs. We both had school in the morning and she was terrible at getting up early. She looked reluctant to let me stay downstairs alone but crept up anyway. I waited until I heard her footsteps on the landing to turn back to Mother.

It didn't smell of anything in our living room; the air freshener had run out. Little things like that... They didn't sound like much but they meant something. The same way the browning leafs of the un-watered plants and the marks from muddy shoes on the rugs meant something. They were tiny signs that she had given up.

I grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch. I'd started keeping one downstairs for nights like this. They were becoming pretty frequent.

I wished I could carry her up to her room the way she'd carried all of us up countless nights before; when we were younger. She deserved to be looked after. But if I'd lifted her she would have woken up, so I just took the empty wine class from her hand and covered her carefully.

I grabbed the bottle form the table too before I padded to the kitchen. It was the expensive stuff left over from before the break up. Nothing we could afford to splurge on whenever we felt like it anymore. She had been getting through the bottles fast. I could only hope she'd waited until Max was in bed. He shouldn't have seen her that way; so broken when she'd always seemed like the strongest woman in the world to us.

I couldn't imagine what it was like to be her. To lose the man who promised you 'Till death do us part'. To find out you were parted from the very beginning.

I made my way mechanically to the sink and ran warm water into the glass. Swished it around, repeated. It looked clean enough; then again I couldn't see much in the dark. When I felt the usual spot for a towel there was nothing there.

I don't know why I thought there would be one in its place; organisation was out the window in our house now. It wasn't dirty or messy. Like I said, it was the little differences. Things didn't take care of themselves the way they used to. That was because things never took care of themselves. Somebody had always been looking out for us. My siblings and me. And now it was our turn to look after her.

I used some tissue I had on me to wipe up so I wouldn't have to bash around looking for another towel and placed the glass back into the cupboard as quietly as I could.

I'm sure you can see my mistake there. I didn't until the next day.

I'd destroyed the napkin with Magnus' number.

* * *

**Well, there is a glimpse of life in the Lightwood household. I hope it didn't bore you without Magnus there. As always, thank you for reading!**

**Next is: 'Free-Fall'**


	4. Free-Fall

"You must be the sister?" I heard his unmistakable voice out on the shop floor and froze in place.

When I lost his number I figured I'd never see Magnus Bane again. I had accepted it and moved on. How stupid was I to not consider that he could be a regular customer?

My heart pounded in my ears. If he was a regular I'd have to quit. No question about it. In the meantime I eyed up the small window in the corner as a possible escape route. Maybe if I climbed out through it I'd get fired and I wouldn't have to quit…

"One sec." I heard Izzy say. Moments later she popped her head into the room. Her hair was already flopping out of its loose bun and she was clearly ticked off. "You told me it was a fake number!"

She really was too loud. I wasn't sure that I'd ever moved as fast in my life; and I did track and field. I darted over, pulled her into the back room and shut the door. I signaled for quiet with a finger to my lip. She furrowed her brows and started to tap her foot at me. When I realised how childish I must have looked I shoved my hands into my apron pockets.

"Well?" Izzy said. That was how she demanded an explaination.

"I lost it..." I mumbled, "Well actually I threw it out. It was an accident."

"You're an idiot." She declared. Like I didn't already know that. She didn't have to say it out loud. I nearly snapped back a retort about her grade in maths but before I could register what was happening she had her hands on my shoulders and was pushing me out of the room.

I had to put my hands against the doorframe to keep from going out there.

"What are you _doing_?!" I hissed. She was putting all her weight into the push; I grit my teeth with the effort of pushing back. Anybody looking must have thought we were insane. If they weren't busy bitching about the kids arguing in the back room while nobody was there to serve them their fix.

Isabelle stopped and hit me none-too-lightly on the shoulder. "Somebody has to man the till, Alec."

"Yes, you do." I replied. It was dumb to relax my guard. The second I put my hands down I got shoved into the storefront. Damn her. It was hardly fair, Izzy didn't know how to do anything in the back room so once I'd done her job for a while I was going to have to fix whatever mess she made of it.

There were a lot of occupied tables. Scanning the room I recognised a few familiar faces. There was the little redhead, Clary, and her boyfriend with the glasses. She always shot my friend Jace down for dates because she was dating glasses-guy. Her loss, Jace happened to be a great guy. Really fun. Majorly attractive.

Speaking of majorly attractive, Magnus wasn't in the booth I where I met him the first time. Now he was waiting at the till, talking to some girl in the huge line behind him. His hair was colour-free; which looked much better than it had looked with all the streaks in it.

Why did he have to find a magical way to look _better_ the next time I had to talk to him? It was hard enough the first time around. And now I had to face up to the fact I never contacted him. I almost wished the number really had been a fake. It might have been a little less awkward now.

"How can I help you?" I put the work-tone on and stared at the till instead of Magnus' face. A week of absence was not enough to make me ready to see him again. I braced myself for some kind of snide remark but all he did was order.

We made our transaction as if nothing had happened. He didn't seem mad or effected at all. Of course he wasn't affected. He never wanted me to call. He made his order and took his drink to go. When his back was turned I closed my eyes, telling myself to breath, relax. It had passed; I could pretend it never happened.

"Just so you know." I very nearly jumped when he started to talk again. I thought he'd left. "I _very_ rarely give my number out."

"I'm sorry. I had to wipe something up and it was in my pocket and-"

The next customer in the line coughed impatiantly. I rolled my eyes and started serving her. Magnus came to stand just beside her instead of walking away. I couldn't fathom why he was still talking to me. Why would he want to? We didn't know eachother and I didn't look like anything much. He should have been moving on to somebody else. Somebody better who knew what to say and wasn't just a highschool kid.

"Well that is a pity." He said in a contemplative tone. I turned around to make more coffee. There were two sets of gaze on my back; the annoyed customer's and his.

"Sorry about the wait." I smiled as best I could to the girl who snatched her drink from my hand and stalked out. One of those 'I need my caffine fix or I'm going on a killing spree' people.

"You should be saying that to me." Magnus smirked into his coffee. The next customer's look was just as irritated as the last.

"One second, sir." I excused and swivelled to look Magnus up and down. He was casual, entertained. The waistcoat he was wearing instantly dressed up his t-shirt and tight jeans and he had a pack slung on one shoulder as if he was a student. He looked too old for that but you never knew. Some people start late. "You can see that I'm working, right?"

"How can I help you?" Came Isabelle's singsong voice beside me. She'd come out of nowhere to relive me from my post. How did I not see that one coming? It was majorly predictable Izzy behaviour. Now I felt trapped with no excuse not to speak to Magnus.

Why didn't I want to speak to him? I did want to. It wasn't that. I didn't know what was stopping me.

It was like going skydiving. Like I'd willingly gone up in the plane to the point of no return and was too afraid to jump. Izzy was egarly trying to push me off just like she pushed me over the threshold of the back room. Magnus was the instructor, the one who knew exactly what to do. Being patiant and determined at the same time. Waiting for me to give in.

"Can you take a break?" He asked knowingly.

I sucked in a breath. Now or never. Time to jump.

"Sure."

* * *

**And so it begins. Thanks to anybody who is reading. The next chapter is in the works: "Age Is Just A Number"**


	5. Age Is Just A Number

That day Magnus had insisted on taking my number instead when he had to go. He typed it directly into his phone and made some comment about 'younglings' being unreliable and loosing things. I still remembered the glint in his eye when I bit my lip.

Since then Izzy kept talking about how I was 'so in there'. She sounded more like Jace than herself. Funnily enough it was Jace who asked the more clean-minded questions. Probably part of his new ploy to get that Clary girl: Proving he wasn't a self-absorbed dick.

"So, come on. Izzy is expecting me to get the gossip on this Magnus guy." He said while we ran laps. Well, jogged laps. Neither of us really felt like sprinting and the Coach wasn't paying much attention.

"Izzy _knows_ all the Magnus gossip. There isn't much to say." I groaned. As if I would keep anything majorly big from her. "He's just a guy I met at work. We text a lot and chat on my breaks."

"And you like him?" Jace pried as we both jumped some girl's legs. She was doing stretches way too close to the track, probably hoping to get noticed. When we passed she made this scared, squeaking sound like she thought we were going to land on her. Then she relocated somewhere out of the way.

Did I like Magnus? Yes. I liked him a lot.

It was weird because we didn't have much in common. It just sort of… worked somehow. Like, Magnus had a job in fashion, so when he brought it up I'd talk about Izzy and her trend obsessions. And when he noticed angry scratches I'd gotten from our cat Church he always had a story about whatever adorable thing his kitten had done recently (last time it was falling asleep in a hat-box).

"Well, it's easier to text him than talk to him. I don't get distracted by, you know, his face."

"Of course." Jace smirked. I shoved him and laughed when he almost fell over stretches-girl. She must have thought we had it in for her.

"But, really, there's not that much to say. I know random stuff. He hates black coffee, he smokes, he speaks a lot of languages…" I wracked my brain for any information that was remotely interesting. To Jace, I mean. I found just about everything about Magnus interesting. The thing was other people didn't care about his favorite smell (sandalwood) or the dumb shows he kept trying to convince me I should watch. Izzy felt like I was keeping things from her; I just didn't have anything to say that she would consider worth her while.

Jace really did look like I was about to put him to sleep. It was fair enough. I was always trying not to doze when he went off on one about his girlfriends and their perfumes and rom-coms.

"Oh!" Jace's eyes snapped wide open when I gasped. I'd remembered the only gossip-worthy thing I knew about Magnus, a fact I'd pushed to the back of my mind. "And he's thirty."

* * *

_"Are you alright there?" Magnus asked. I was a bit busy choking on my drink to answer him._

_"T-Thirty?" I stammered. Magnus started rubbing circles on my back while I swallowed and regained breath. Yeah, that was __**exactly**__ what I needed. Him to act like a grown-up. "As in three-zero?"_

_"I thought it was obvious I wasn't a high-school kid, Alec." He said._

_I looked him over. Really looked. Magnus was clearly not my age, I always knew that. But he didn't have an __**adult**__ vibe to him. He definitely didn't look thirty. Maybe twenty-six at a push. _

_I knew other thirty year olds: teachers in cheap suits with dull haircuts. Adults who would never touch glitter and didn't plug in their earphones every spare moment._

_Magnus had always looked older than I did but he'd also acted like a teen. A wilder teen than I was. He had his mature moments, but still…_

_"I thought you were a college senior or something!" _

_He just seemed to have that combination of teenage rebellion and grown-up savvy; the kind that was unique to the student population before they left school and couldn't afford to keep their immaturities any more._

_For a moment Magnus looked flattered and smiled at me the way he did when he was pleased. He had this really satisfied smile which always made my pulse pick up speed. _

_Then his face twisted into an expression of doubt._

_"This isn't a problem is it?"_

_Yes. Yes it's a problem. I go to high school. What the hell is wrong with you?_

_"No, why would it be a problem?" _

_I don't know why I said it was alright. Magnus was definitely too old for me. I mean we had moved past the point of 'more experienced' to 'old enough to be Max's Father'. _

_But I liked Magnus. I clicked with Magnus. I didn't want to stop talking to him just because he had twelve years on me. Twelve years was nothing, wasn't it? It wouldn't seem like much when I reached twenty. Not that I was sure I'd still know Magnus when I reached twenty._

_A long finger touched the center of my forehead and Magnus frowned at me. "You're freaking out in there, aren't you?"_

_"No." Yes. No._

_He was still the same person I'd been talking to all this time. The same person I liked. I reached up and twined my fingers into his hand to bring it back down to the table. _

_"I'm fine, honestly…"_

* * *

Jace tripped flat on his face. Genuinely got caught on his own feet and fell to the ground. I'd never seen that happen before. Had I really surprised him that much?

"Are you serious?!" People nearby all started to look at us so I ducked down on the floor beside him, pretending to check him over for scrapes. Actually, his knees were bleeding a bit.

"It's not that big a deal…" I said quietly in the hopes that Jace would lower the volume. He didn't.

"My Dad is thirty!" He exclaimed.

"Your Dad is forty-two."

"Same thing!"

I resisted the urge to rub my temples. Maybe I was right the first time and it was worth freaking out over. What was I supposed to do, though? Go to Magnus saying 'You know how I said your age didn't matter? Well it does.'?

That wouldn't work. I'd change my mind about saying it the second I opened my mouth anyway. I didn't want to stop seeing him.

After another minute or so Jace seemed to calm down a little and everybody else had gotten back to their own business. Except for a couple other guys who were probably finding it weird that I still had my hand on Jace's leg. I quickly removed it and wiped the blood off on my kit. Sadly it was already dry. Gross.

"Do you think Izzy will freak?" I ventured, helping to pull my friend back to his feet.

Jace raised an eyebrow at me like I was an escaped mental patient. "You have to ask? Izzy will _definitely_ freak."

* * *

**I was worried about posting this chapter (and the rest of the story after it). I had to keep reminding myself that the people reading this probably ship the cannon where Magnus has 200 years on Alec at the very least. That's actually what I was kind of reflecting.**

**Anyway; thank you for reading and I hope that you'll continue to read on. More chapters are to come, next up we have: 'Meeting The Father'**


	6. Meeting The Father

"No uniform today, Darling?" Magnus asked. I found him in his usual seat texting while his coffee got cold. I slid into the seat across from him.

"I'm not working." I explained. I was doing something even less pleasant that day. Meeting up with Robert and Anna.

I was kind of hoping that Magnus wouldn't be there. I'd only ever seen him when I had a shift but that was because I didn't spend any of my free time – besides my breaks - hanging out at JJ's anymore. I figured before my so-called parent arrived I should give Magnus a word of warning that he couldn't really talk to me.

"That's what you wear when you aren't working? Oh sweetie…" Magnus looked absolutely dismayed and shook his head grimly at my dark jeans and worn t-shirt. I fiddled with one of the holes in the hem, completely forgetting that I had something to say.

"What's wrong with it?" I asked.

"What isn't wrong with it?" He retorted, and took off the blue scarf he was wearing. He shoved the length of fabric at me across the table. "Put this on."

I didn't. I just gave him a look and waited for him to put it back down again. He stayed adamant, and when I didn't put it on he looped it around my neck himself.

"Magnus!"

"Alexander."

Angels, his voice made me melt sometimes. Which reminded me that this was exactly what I wanted to avoid. It was possible my family were going to walk in any second and Magnus wasn't known for being the most appropriate guy in the world. But I guess if you've been listening to me ramble on about him you know that already.

"You know I told you about Robert?" I ventured. Magnus sat back looking pretty alarmed. I had to work on that abrupt-change-of-subject thing I did.

"Your Father? I remember." He said in a voice that sounded cautious and laced his fingers together. "He moved out three months ago, right?"

I smiled. It was nice that he remembered even if it was a horrible topic. I loved that he was considerate even though he probably had bigger problems to deal with like all adults seemed to. Magnus never complained when I had to rant or vent. He just listened.

"Yes. He's coming here soon with Anna," I couldn't help it, her name still made me angry. "And my siblings. And, well, I just wanted to make sure you didn't… Wouldn't…"

Magnus raised a hand to stop me talking. "I get it. I'm not going to out you Darling."

I was about to thank him when he put that hand to my face. He never much cared about personal space but this was different. This was romantic, not like when he swiped my hair back into place or prodded me when I said something sarcastic. His touch tingled where it rested and when he inclined his head towards me my mouth went dry.

"Alec!" Isabelle's voice squeaked. I pulled back so fast I hit my head on the back of the booth seat. Yup. That hurt.

Looking towards the door I was beyond lucky to find Izzy had come in first. The others were trailing in behind too late to see the moment me and Magnus had been having. I threw him a helpless glance and he simply shrugged and got up out of his seat. Max nearly ran into him on the way over to me, completely oblivious as he jumped into the space the older man had just been sat in.

If the mood hadn't been dead before, it certainly was now.

I handed my brother a menu and he went straight to the cakes section. I smiled when I saw his brows knit together.

"Izzy didn't bake them, right?"

Izzy didn't like that comment and pinched his arm. I kicked her under the table and she stuck her tongue out at me. As an afterthought I took a quick look around to see if Magnus had actually left. Honestly, could I really afford to look any more childish around him? He was gone, thankfully. Or not thankfully. I didn't know. I wanted him around all the time but I didn't want Robert to judge him for his sparkles or realise that I liked guys that way. He'd go berserk, like he had any right to comment on other people's relationships.

I was quite prepared to keep it from him forever.

"Who was that man talking to you?"

He was making that difficult.

Alarm bells went off in my head and I couldn't think. What could I say? I couldn't say he was my boyfriend. Was he even my boyfriend? 'Boyfriend' seemed like a pretty juvenile word, come to think of it... That was a line of thought for another time.

"Uh…"

"His History Tutor." Isabelle supplied.

I blinked. "What?"

Yeah. I'm really bad at excuses. It was a good thing that what my sister lacked in organization she made up for in alibies. She was one of the best when it came to thinking on her feet. She knew how to sell a performance better than any actress.

"It's okay, Alec, you can tell him." She said softly, making it sound like she was being encouraging before she faced Robert with her best confession face. "Alec's failing History. He didn't want you to know, so he got Mr Bane to tutor him."

Silence fell while we all awaited the reaction on hard-set features. It was like a verdict on if we'd gotten away with the on-the-spot excuse.

"I thought you loved History." Robert's face was grim as ever, but he'd bought it and that was what mattered.

His kids' school performance was almost as high on his list of priorities as spending time with women who weren't his wife. He was right, though. I did really well in History. It was Izzy who was failing. Badly.

That would be why the subject sprang to her mind.

"I used to…" I muttered. I hoped that if I sounded ticked off enough it wouldn't invite a lot of questioning. It was actually Anna who changed the subject by asking us all what we wanted to drink. After that, nobody at our table really spoke at all.

For the most part we had nothing to say to Robert. It was so hard to grit my teeth and act like all was well while the youngest of us was there. He shouldn't have come. Robert always insisted. 'He might have questions about the divorce, too' he said. Bull. He just wanted him there so that the rest of us wouldn't ask things which mattered. We couldn't - we wouldn't - talk about what he'd done in front of Max.

Max still needed Isabelle to pluck off his glasses and clean the splatter he'd created by blowing bubbles into his milkshake; he couldn't handle knowing what a despicable person his Father was. I think he must have known somewhere though. That or he sensed how Izzy was uncomfortable and I hated him and followed suit. Because it felt like Robert was an outsider. He wasn't part of 'us'; there were the three Lightwood kids and there was him and his mistress.

We were separate. We always would be.

* * *

**A bit of a close call! Thank you for reading if you've stuck with it this far. Next chapter to come: 'Alibi'**


	7. Alibi

For the first time, I was meeting Magnus somewhere new. Last time we were chatting on my break Isabelle had flounced over out of nowhere and professed that it was 'totally weird' that we only ever saw each other while I was at work.

It was also getting to the point where a lot of kids from my school had seen us together and while that night Robert had shown up was the closest we ever got to being inappropriate Izzy had a point. I didn't need it coming back to bite me when I hadn't graduated yet. I couldn't be seen as the kid who went around with guys my teachers' age. If they saw me that way it wouldn't be long before they thought I was the kid going around with teachers. Especially if we were going to tell people Magnus was tutoring me.

When Robert had dropped us back to the house he'd walked in right after us. I could have knocked him out right there. I was so proud of my Mother for facing him with composure. What was even better was that the house was finally back in order; with a few minor edits. Like all his pictures down from the walls.

"So he starts trying to tell Mother off for not telling him I had a Tutor. Who she didn't know about, obviously."

"Because you don't have one." Magnus nodded and took a seat on a bench. We'd come to the Museum because there was a photography exhibit he'd wanted to show me - I didn't think much of it put I pretended to care to make him happy. Then I talked him to death about the Roman Empire when we came to the relics.

His eyes lit up when I became animated about it. He said he liked my passion.

Passion seemed like a strong word. People who were passionate about History were boring people like my teacher Mr Starkweather. But Magnus didn't seem bored. Magnus seemed like he'd be happy to listen as long as I kept talking. That was how I ended up rambling into the 'Tutor' discussion.

"So, Mother doesn't really mind. She's just a little annoyed she hadn't met you." I explained.

"As in Tutor-me?"

"As in Tutor-you."

Magnus smirked and put an arm around my shoulders. It was unsettling in a good way; exciting to finally be in a situation where he could do things like that and not be spotted by my friends or family. I rested my head on him. Magnus was much taller than I was which never happened with guys my own age. I felt like I fit against him better.

"Well." Magnus began thoughtfully. "I could call her and explain the situation. The fake situation, I mean."

It was sort of funny. Like he was torn between wanting to do the grown-up thing and keep the parents in the know about what I was up to and wanting to keep my secret for me. I wondered how Mother would feel about it if I told her about how I'd been seeing Magnus.

It was only a brief thought. It would have been wildly optimistic to imagine the reaction would be good.

My shoulders felt cold all of a sudden and I sat up properly realising that Magnus was on his phone.

"You don't want to call her now?" I asked.

He laughed and shook his head while he typed away on the keypad. "This is work. Some bitchy model."

Magnus, as it turned out, was actually a photographer, not a designer. Not a designer by trade anyway. Every now and then he managed to get a piece showcased but he hadn't caught a real break yet. In the mean time he was always getting 'bitchy model' texts.

It worried me at first that he was always surrounded by gorgeous people. It made it even less likely that he would stay with me. Boring, normal Alec who didn't look as good or dress as well.

The more annoyed the models seemed to make him the less I worried about it. Maybe they were all beautiful but Magnus hated having to talk to them. I could wait my turn patiently knowing he wouldn't linger on them for any longer than he had to.

Unless he had to leave.

"I'm being summoned." Magnus sighed as he shoved his phone back into his pocket. "I could meet you again tomorrow?"

I shook my head. Izzy was dragging me out shopping for her prom dress that day. Sometimes I didn't think she understood that I wasn't her 'gay best friend' and had no idea about clothes whatsoever. Either that or making me go was a ploy to try and make me get a suit. That was possible.

"I have to prom shop." I grimaced. I didn't even want to go to the dumb dance. Izzy had a boyfriend to take her and Jace had finally roped Clary into going with him. My other friends were all on the sports teams and had girls battling to be their plus one.

"Oh?" Magnus had that amused sort of surprise. He knew by now that getting dressed up wasn't my kind of thing. "Who's the lucky guy?"

"I don't have a date." We passed the Roman exhibit again. I liked it better when we were talking about gladiators and not school events.

"Is that a hint?"

I stopped and spluttered like it was our first conversation again. Some of the things he said. The idea of him turning up in my school gym looking like one of the chaperons was ridiculous.

At the same time… I guess there's a part of every teen who wants to spend that night with somebody who mattered. I knew I'd go and spend the whole time I was there thinking about Magnus.

"No, it isn't a-"

"When is it?" Magnus cut me off.

By now we were on the front steps and he was about to flag down a cab. He took his phone out again because it was ringing but he didn't answer the call. It just kept playing some annoying pop song or another.

"You aren't seriously considering-"

"Just tell me when." He interrupted again and waved the phone slightly to put emphasis on his hurry.

How could he even imagine getting away with attending a high school prom? Alright, he didn't look his age. But he didn't look eighteen either. Still, he'd asked, and we had to finish the conversation quick before a cab pulled up.

"April 20th." I said. Still very confused.

Magnus smiled and got into the cab wordlessly. I started to panic when it dawned on me that he had no intention of explaining himself. I started to knock on the window but he didn't even look up.

"Magnus? Magnus!"

Aaand the cab was gone. Awesome.

* * *

**Thanks for reading. It's been really exciting for me to see that people are actually following this. I'm a little worried that my written 'voice' needs improvement but I'm not quite sure what to do about it without becoming OOC. Still writing though. The n****ext chapter shall be: 'Meeting The Mother'.**


	8. Meeting The Mother

Magnus was dodging me. I text him like five times and left him three messages; each more (but not very) threatening than the last. He could not attend prom. There was no way I could even begin to explain that to my parents.

"I'm sure he just wanted to know when you'd be busy." Izzy drawled. I'd been watching her fuss with her hair all day long; our family funds weren't impressive and buying a new dress had pretty much cleaned her out. She'd have to be able to do her hair, nails and makeup herself. "I can't believe you have a boyfriend who works in a studio and you can't call in a favour from a stylist."

"Yeah, I'm sure Mother wouldn't ask any questions about that." I threw one of Izzy's purple pillows at her. The bed I laid on was covered in them.

My sister used to re-decorate her room all the time when Robert lived with us. Her room was probably an inch smaller in diameter than it was when we moved in, with all the layers of paint. The shortest amount of time I'd seen between changes was five days when she started dating this eco-warrior and threw out everything to make room for second-hand furniture. At the end of those days it didn't work out so she went and got all the things she'd thrown out back.

The longest I'd seen her go without redecorating was since the divorce. Izzy had completely gone off purple but was stuck with it. She could just about get away with saving to add the occasional piece to her wardrobe, let alone redesign a whole room.

On the plus side the general finances were getting better. Mother had been promoted so most of the money Izzy and I made went towards 'extras' now, we weren't responsible for feeding the family anymore. Which was good because Isabelle couldn't be held responsible for feeding the cat, much less a group of people.

Groups of people... And I was back to worrying about what Magnus was up to.

"Screw it. I'm calling him again." I had him on speed dial so I didn't even have to look when I raised the phone to my ear.

"Mother might overhear..." Isabelle sang warningly.

"I'll be quiet." I shushed her.

"No you won't." She threw the pillow back at me and returned to the mountain of bobby pins she was attempting to arrange on her head. Because it just isn't a special occasion if a girl doesn't have a whole bunch of metal prongs sticking into her skull. Honestly. The effort that girls go to when their hair looks just as nice down; I'll never understand.

I made a note to self to ask Jace how he felt about bobby pins. It seemed like all the elaborate arrangements would just get in the way.

I heard music playing downstairs and it didn't seem like our Mother's taste at all. Odd. But I didn't find it that weird until my phone stopped dialing out and the music stopped. I got up and headed onto the landing to hear better when I dialed again.

There was the music.

Magnus' ringtone.

I ran back in to Isabelle, shaking. My heart was working overtime and about to break my rib-cage. "Izzy. Magnus is downstairs."

"What do you mean downstairs?" She peeled her eyes from the mirror to give me a skeptic look. Because you know: that's very helpful when you're freaking out.

"You two might as well come down here." Came the small voice from my mobile. Not Magnus but Mother. It was official: he was downstairs, talking to my Mother.

If a whiter shade of pale than I already was existed then that was the colour I'd just turned. Even Izzy's eyes were bugging out of her head. She gave me a signal to hang up but I was too stunned. She took the phone and did it herself.

* * *

Try as I might I just could not relax with Magnus sat at the dinner table with us. Remember how we were in the museum? When I said it was unsettling in a good way? This was unsettling in a 'by-the-angel-why-won't-the-ground-swallow-me-whol e?' way.

Some explanation might be due here, though.

Magnus, who was currently wearing a blazer and glasses that weren't even prescription, had decided that my Mother was in fact right about wanting to meet my 'History Tutor'. He'd turned up to my house under the premise that it was 'irresponsible' not to meet with the parents of a – and you can imagine how much I loved hearing this part – 'child in his care'.

And there I had thought he had a busy schedule.

"We really can't thank you enough, Mr Bane." My Mother flattered as she handed a dish to him. She'd situated herself right beside Magnus, with me and Max across from them and Isabelle at the head of the table. Izzy kept giving me little confused glances like she wanted to know how I'd managed not to explode or blurt out something incriminating.

"Not at all. Alexander is a smart boy." That brought up the total number of times he'd used the word 'boy' to nine and I had a funny feeling he was going to try breaking double digits. My knuckles were palling with my fingers wrapped tightly around my cutlery.

Of course my Mother didn't see that. She was quite busy staring at Magnus like she wanted him to throw her on the table.

Uncomfortable, much?

"I suppose you've visited my ex-husband too?"

Way to stretch the 'ex' part. "Classy." I muttered without thinking. Oops.

Everybody at the table looked at me; I looked at my sister hoping for excuse-inspiration.

"Izzy…" Would totally have this covered up by now… "Asked me what I thought of her prom makeup. I just remembered the word I was looking for."

Okay, that was a good save for me. Any other time Isabelle would have high-fived me for something like that. Now she grinned knowingly. Just like Magnus was.

"Aww. Thank you." She said, placing her hand to her chest like she was touched about winning an award. She should have been a drama student. Max just shrugged and said he couldn't tell the difference. To tell the truth neither could I.

We hadn't gotten though it yet; the topic was soon back on track with Magnus resting one elbow on the table and leaning in pretty damn intimately. "From what your son has told me, speaking to that man isn't worth anybody's time."

"He talks to you about that?" Mother looked awestruck. I didn't know what bothered me more. That she was trying to flirt with the guy I was seeing or that he was going along with it like nothing was wrong. He knew she'd been hurt recently.

"Boys of that age do need a male presence to talk to, I think. My Father was-"

"Alec, didn't you say you had an essay to show Mr Bane?" Isabelle piped up before he could say any more. I have the best sister. She wasn't always helpful but when she was she was awesome.

I was going to make sure she got whatever colour paint and cushions she wanted next pay-day.

Hearing about the schoolwork Mother was pretty quick to dismiss us upstairs. I was all too happy to get out of there and was halfway up by the time Magnus even left the room.

I think he was intentionally dawdling, looking at the framed photos all over the place. I felt my face heat when I realised how many pictures of me as a kid were actually on display.

Me at eight, leaning over new-born Max on our Mother's lap (one of the many pictures from that day where Robert was holding the camera instead of sitting with his family), me teaching Izzy to ice-skate on Lake Lyn when I was twelve. I grabbed Magnus' arm and physically dragged him past the one from my first birthday before he got a chance to look.

We paused before entering my room.

First, I was trying to remember what kind of state I'd left it in. And if there were anymore juvenile embarrassments in there. I wasn't like Isabelle, I hadn't really done anything with my room the whole time I'd been in there aside from throwing out toys and putting up posters as I got older.

Secondly, Magnus was about to come into my room. That was a nerve-wracking event in itself.

* * *

**Thanks to everybody. The next chapter is 'Grown Up' and basically the second half of this one. **

**I just want to put it out there - because there was mention of a bedroom and this is FanFiction dot Net after all - that I don't write explicit scenes. ****I'm going to switch the rating of this fic to M because I may choose to mention or gloss-over some mature things (because teenage guys like Alec do think about that stuff) but please don't expect me to go into detail. **I'm sorry if this disappoints you and happy if you're cool with that.

**Thanks again for reading!**


	9. Grown Up

"Darling, are we going in here or not?" Magnus breathed huskily into my ear. The sound of his voice very nearly made me forget that I was mad at him.

Sometimes when Magnus was speaking I forgot the whole world existed.

It was him who opened the door, while I stood there distracted by how warm his breath had felt against my skin. He didn't walk in until I'd lead the way and I was the one to shut the door behind us.

We were alone in my room. It felt like I'd stood up too fast and gotten a rush. I never thought that would happen for real; I'd had the odd dream about it but what guy wouldn't? No teenager really wants to be celibate.

Of all the times I'd thought about Magnus being in my room I didn't think I'd be angry at him or that he'd be casually looking at my sports medals on the dresser. Mostly silver. I was used to being runner-up.

"You compete more than I expected-"

"Are you out of your mind?" I snapped. He really was planning to pretend nothing was wrong. I took his fake glasses off, they'd annoyed me all evening.

"I thought you missed me." Magnus smirked. "So many calls..."

"I called because you just_ left_." I growled.

"Yes, sweatpea, that would be because I have a job." He sighed. It wasn't an exasperated sigh, or a stressed one. He just seemed bored.

Maybe he was bored. Was I just stirring up dumb teenage drama? I couldn't really hold Magnus' job against him. And he'd come to see me at home the only way he could without suspicion...

"You were flirting with my Mother." I reminded him pointedly. I wasn't going to let that one slide.

"Your Mother was flirting with me. _I_ spent the whole time talking about _you_."

Magnus did have a point. And he was still looking at me with those eyes of his which seemed to glitter even though he was sparkle-free that evening. That must have been a struggle for him.

I took the opportunity to get a better look at a Magnus with no makeup or nail polish or hair product. He looked a little older that way - thankfully still younger than his actual age. There were lines on his face that you could see better this way and he was dressed in a way that was less stylish and more mature.

I know I said I was thankful he didn't look his age; but thinking about it I probably wouldn't have minded if Magnus really looked thirty. I mean, look at all the actors out there. There were hot older guys all over the place and it was perfectly alright to crush on them.

But there was also the other side to it; how Magnus felt about me. I mean, he _had_ just spent the whole night talking about me like I was a child.

"Do you really think of me that way?" I chanced asking. I had to know, really. Before I got any more invested in a guy who felt like my babysitter or something. "Like I'm a kid?"

Magnus actually laughed when I said it. "Is that what this is all about?"

He sat down on my bed like it was something he did every day. When he motioned for me to come sit next to him it was the same way he did in his booth at JJ's every time he saw me. So new and so normal at the same time.

I hesitated, but only when I was close enough for him to pull me the rest of the way. He didn't stop at sitting me down, either, he put a hand to my chest and lowered me onto my back. I bit my lip to keep it from trembling. He just kept smiling down at me.

"I see you the way you are." He said as he put his hand through my hair. It should have been relaxing. Instead it was making my stomach do flips. "You're only a kid if you act like a kid. That's true of everybody."

Up until then Magnus had been gazing right into my eyes, keeping me stunned to the point where I could hardly comprehend that he was talking at all. His words just about registered. I had to concentrate very hard on keeping my stupid teenage hormones in check when he started to rake his eyes over my body.

Crap.

I quickly sat up and tucked my legs under my chin hoping he wouldn't notice anything out of the ordinary. I'm subtle like that. I hid my face in my knees, too.

"You're laughing."

"I'm not laughing." Laughed Magnus. "You can think that if it helps you calm down, though."

I used to think the day I met Magnus was the most mortified I'd ever be in front of him. It would appear I was drastically wrong. The only plus side was that when I looked up again he'd turned his attention elsewhere.

"So, I actually have a question." He said matter-of-factly. Then he picked up one of my textbooks from the bedside and muttered something about how they hadn't updated them in years.

"Shoot." I told him, regaining composure. Thank the angel. I had no idea what I was going to do if I couldn't get a hold of myself. No pun intended.

"April 20th. How do you feel about skipping this 'prom' thing?"

"Skipping it?" I repeated, dumbstruck. I'd already had an idea to fake illness. Isabelle had been resolute that I couldn't do that and had to attend.

"I was going to invite you to dinner." Magnus paused; then added with a smirk. "Like a grown-up."

I kicked him for that last comment, happy to be able to move my legs freely again. My smile fell when his phone started to ring. Magnus never ignored his phone for long. I saw his hand twitch towards his pocket while he waited for me to say something. I kept quiet just to see what he'd do.

Right before the tone was about to cut out he answered it. "Already?"

Magnus pulled the phone away from his ear because the person on the other end was yelling. I couldn't really make out what they were saying, just that the voice was female and angry. There was music in the background. Magnus mouthed 'sorry' to me before turning the volume down and putting the device back to his ear. I pointed him towards the attached bathroom so he could have privacy.

When he returned the first thing he said was 'I have to go'. It seemed a little late to be getting work calls but hey, I didn't know how it worked in his industry. I knew he worked more when there was a big event coming up. He had to make contacts if he wanted to get a foot in the door.

So, I nodded, reluctantly. At least he seemed genuinely sad about going. Like this time I'd been given the silver when I'd really tied for the gold.

Magnus embraced me and I could hardly believe it was the first time that had happened. Somehow I felt like I'd known Magnus forever and it seemed weird that he'd never held me like that before. Or kissed my forehead like that before.

I was smiling again by the time he said goodbye.

"I'll text you directions for the 20th." He said. "It will be way better than your school gym. Promise."

* * *

**I was quite excited today because I finished the remaining chapters of this story all ready for uploading over the next few days. "Clash" is the next chapter title. Many thank-yous for reading as always!**


	10. Clash

Izzy did some of her best excuse work ever in the weeks leading up to prom. She even enlisted Jace's help, determined that my prom-night story be watertight. We wanted it to be ultra-believable. So that our Mother would have no reason at all to think I was lying about where I'd gone that night.

So I came out.

Jace had mentioned that if I was going to come back giddier than Isabelle - a comment I accepted but didn't really appreciate - then 'I sat around chatting on the bleachers' wasn't going to cut it. We all agreed that meant I should have a fake date.

The thing was, there would be nothing more suspicious than some girl appearing in my life out of nowhere. I had literally never talked about the girls at home. The extent of my interest was 'Jace's new girlfriend is so annoying' and 'I wish Izzy's friends would keep the noise down.'

A guy appearing in my life out of nowhere, on the other hand... Well, it would make sense why he'd been a 'secret' for so long. I had to tell her I liked boys eventually anyway. By my logic if she kicked me out at least I wouldn't need an excuse anymore.

I'm happy to say that I didn't get kicked out. When we sat Mother down to talk about it she'd taken it all surprisingly well. I wondered if maybe she'd softened her judgement on other people's love lives after what happened to hers. I still didn't think she'd approve of me and Magnus, though. Especially not seems she apparently found him attractive.

All in all she'd been really supportive. Admittedly she had insisted that Robert had to know and when she told him he hit the roof and banned me from his house. But I called that a success.

The morning of April 20th we met at Jace's house with Clary and Simon - would you believe it, Jace got his date with the redhead by using my sister to tag-team the couple.

"Alright. The foundation work is already in place." Izzy said, holding a rolled-up 'Ebony' magazine (the one Magnus worked for, come to think of it) with an actress on the cover. My sister had been borderline obsessed with her recently and had even considered bleaching her hair blonde to match. We'd all convinced her against it. "Alec will pick up his boyfriend-"

She pointed the magazine at Simon.

"Raphael." He responded. Every time she'd pointed to one of us we had to be ready to answer.

"Why Raphael?" Clary asked.

"It's the name of some douche from Dumont School's field team. We thought it would be funny." Jace filled his new girlfriend in on the details.

Isabelle cleared her throat and he shut up.

"There are no pictures because..." She pointed to Clary.

"Raphael has Catholic parents who didn't want to take photos of their son with his boyfriend."

"Aaand?"

"And we went right over to see Jace and Clary when we got in. Completely forgot to pass the photographer." I supplied.

"Well aren't you stupid?" Izzy hit me with the magazine.

We carried on like this for a while, until my sister was convinced all of us knew the story inside-out. I would fill her in on what actually happened the next day to see if we could incorporate anything true in.

Until then, we were all 'released'. In other words Izzy was dragging Clary over to our place for a girls' day that the rest of us weren't invited to. I spent the day with Jace and Simon; helping pick up corsages and warning the newer member of our group that if the night wasn't perfect Isabelle would kick his ass in stiletto heels.

Despite my warnings, I liked Simon. He was a nice guy. He seemed like the type who would ask a girl out to watch a movie and actually watch the movie. And he made Izzy laugh and gave her one of his hoodies when it was cold out. She'd yet to return it and probably never would.

I was glad to see she'd found somebody good. I had been worried she'd end up going with somebody who wasn't; he'd ruin her perfect night and she'd end up swearing off men completely.

"Her hair." I said as we all walked away from the florist. "She did it herself and you have to say something nice about it."

"Shower your sister with compliments, I get the picture." Simon joked.

"It's for your own good, man." Jace added with a smirk. He'd known Izzy long enough to know how to stay on her good side.

We were on the way to JJ's. I'd already complained about them making me spend any more time there than I had to but they had the very valid argument that Isabelle's dictator-like behavior the last couple of weeks was half my fault. They were 'all out of favours' for me.

It was practically empty in there. Maia Roberts' scar-faced friend was there without her. A couple hipsters on laptops who were probably writing bad screenplays.

And one older guy. Sat alone in a booth.

"Your type?" Jace nudged me with a grin on his face. I started laughing, which was really dumb because it made him think he was hilarious.

"The funny thing is that you're joking." I managed to say with a semi-straight face. I don't think he really gathered what I meant by that until I walked us over to the booth and took a seat.

Magnus looked surprised to see me. No wonder, he knew my work schedule by now. He put his phone away in his pocket as soon as I approached.

"Still not dressing better on your days off, Darling?" Magnus commented. I poked my tongue out at him and didn't even care that it was childish. "You should wear your prom suit out tonight."

"Only if you switch off your mobile." I wagered. It was worth a shot if only to have his full attention for the first time in weeks.

"Deal."

Jace and Simon had caught up to speed by now and headed over. Simon looked uncomfortable and went to get his coffee. Jace looked like he was stunned. It was like that day on the track where he'd fallen down all over again.

"These are the guys who had to suffer Izzy's tyranny to make me an alibi." I explained for Magnus' benefit. "Jace, here's the reason my sister hit you with a rolled up Ebony."

Magnus chuckled before he let out an exaggerated sigh. "Such is the fate of my art."

Jace didn't exactly seem eager to sit down with us. I frowned. He didn't have to act so weird; usually he always had something to say. I didn't like that he was being so quiet.

Magnus had trouble dealing with quiet people in general. I remembered back when I wasn't so good at talking to him and he felt compelled to coax words out of me. My friend was no exception to this rule.

"Are you the one who compared me to a forty-two year old?" Magnus inquired, frowning jokingly. I laughed; I'd almost forgotten about Jace saying that.

"Yup, that's me. When he told me about you I thought Alec had lost his mind." Jace seemed to be recovering. That was good. There was really no reason for him to start acting like a freak; even Izzy hadn't found it that odd.

"And what do you think now?" Magnus asked him, smirk on his face to rival Jace's.

Suddenly the mood had changed; I couldn't say how. Just that everything seemed so much more serious.

"I haven't decided." Jace said.

* * *

Jace and Simon had left me at the coffee shop and gone home go get ready. It surprised me how happy I was to see Jace go. Another time I'd ask him what his problem was; he was so rude. Not rude in a funny-Jace-way, either. Just plain unpleasant.

When I got home I had bigger things to worry about, though. Robert was waiting on the front porch. His presence made me feel on-edge and territorial. What was worse was the disgusted way he looked at me.

Didn't he know that he was the one with the problem and not me? Apparently not. He practically sneered when I passed him.

"If you came to meet Raphael you're out of luck. I'm picking him up." I lied. I guess I didn't need to say anything at all but I really wanted to get to him. I was so used to our lie by then, anyway.

"I came to see Isabelle off." Said Robert. He narrowed his eyes at me. Scrutinizing. "And to see Max."

"Oh, not for me then? I'm completely crushed." I deadpanned. If Robert thought I cared that he wanted out of my life he had another thing coming. I'd been telling him to get lost since day one of the break-up. The only thing that did suck was that I couldn't be there to keep an eye on my siblings anymore.

On a positive note; Izzy was becoming pretty disillusioned with the idea of Robert as a good guy.

Inside the house, which I'd hastily closed the door to before Robert could follow me, I found Mother cleaning the prime picture-taking spots in the house ready for when the girls came downstairs. She looked just as excited as her daughter had been. Max, on the other hand, looked incredibly bored.

"Are you going to get dressed up too?" He whined. Funny how just a couple weeks ago I would have forgot all about changing my clothes and take him out to kick a ball around and get muddy. I felt like a bad brother for not having the time.

"Sorry Max. I'll make it up to you."

"It's just one night. Alec plays with you all the time." I heard Isabelle in the doorway before I saw her.

When I saw her I could hardly speak.

I don't know if you've ever had the experience of seeing your baby sister in a gown for the first time. The first time she looks like a Princess since she was tiny and playing dress-up games. Well, the world stops turning for a moment. You're proud of her and you don't know why.

"You look beautiful Izzy." I smiled. Max's face was the very picture of surprised.

"You look like you slept in your clothes." Izzy replied. "Get upstairs and change right now!"

And she was back to being normal little sister in a fancy dress. That lasted. I shook my head and went to my room, regretting that I'd agreed to wear the suit.

* * *

**Just a quick note, I only just noticed that when I double-check spelling in Chrome it's correcting my English to American. So if you're seeing words like 'realise' one minute and 'realize' another, then I'm sorry for being all over the place. I'll pay more attention to what I'm changing in future.**

**Thank you for reading, everybody! Next up is "Cliché".**


	11. Cliché

When I came back downstairs Jace and Simon had turned up and were slipping flowered bands onto the girls' wrists. Isabelle beamed, Clary blushed and my Mother was taking about a million photos of them all.

I was stricken by the idea that this was actually all a big deal. The whole time it had felt like Izzy had exaggerated the importance of one school dance but... Maybe I was missing out on something.

They all looked really happy. This was a night they'd always remember. Someday Jace was going to tell his kids a story about how hard he worked to convince that girl to go with him, Izzy would recall every detail of her night in perfect clarity. My story was a lie; one we'd already invented.

They all dragged me into some of their group shots and that was as close as I'd ever get to being a part of their experience.

Magnus had said 'you're only a kid if you act like a kid'. So what was I if I didn't? What was I when I was on the side lines? I wasn't a parent like Mother or Robert (who had eventually been let inside), watching my children reach a rite of passage.

It was weird that around Magnus I felt like I had some serious growing up to do but when I was around my family I felt like I'd aged too fast.

It was almost time to go; I checked the directions on my phone again. Even though I could probably recite them by heart at this point.

"Wait!" Izzy yelped at the threshold. "I have to record something."

We all groaned as she shot into the living room and grabbed the remote. Even on the most anticipated date she had on her calendar Izzy would remember the dumb things like TV shows that wouldn't matter a week away.

"Don't give me that." She chided. "There are designs being showcased tonight!"

"Designs you can't afford." I grumbled.

"Alec, I spent an hour getting my nails pretty today. Don't make me slap you."

* * *

The restaurant I'd been directed to was unlike anything I thought existed in the real world. Before I had been worried I was overdressed but I got inside to find it was full of people dressed up like they were attending a giant, fancy wedding. I thought maybe I was in the wrong place; Magnus spent his free time in the run down coffee shop I worked at and adding bright streaks to his hair. It didn't seem like anywhere he'd go.

When a waiter very politely directed me to 'Mr Bane's usual table' I realised I needed to rethink my impression of what kind of places were Magnus' kind of places.

Magnus wasn't there yet but the waiter sat me down anyway. He seemed to be watching me too closely but, you know, they were probably paid a lot to be super-attentive. He kept asking me if there was anything I wanted but I got the feeling I'd end up charged my salary for tap water or something so I had to keep saying no.

Magnus arrived right after I managed to get rid of the guy and brought him right back again. My annoyance was overshadowed by how happy I was that Magnus had finally showed up. Not having him there was making me nervous.

"You look wonderful Alexander." He smiled at me. It was a new smile. One that didn't have an amused undercurrent to it. I liked it.

Even better, before he took his seat he handed me his phone. It felt much too light, I realised that was because the battery had been taken out.

"That's for you to keep hold of. I might need you yell at me at some point so I don't get withdrawal."

I laughed and pocketed the phone. "What would I yell at you for?"

"Work stuff. Skipping tonight's showcase." Magnus waved a hand dismissively.

I remembered Isabelle right before we had left the house; running into our living room to record a show like her life depended on it. Was it the same showcase? Was it big? It must have been big to be televised. But was it huge? Guilt started to take hold.

"Don't they have press photographers at these things?" I asked as I tried to avoid screwing an elaborately folded napkin up in my hands.

"Well, yes, but they'd want me there when my designs go on." Magnus explained.

Yup. I was officially a horrible human being who was keeping him from realising his dreams.

Nice one, me. "You have designs this thing? Magnus! Go to work!"

"Ah. It's like I never turned the phone off." Magnus sighed happily. "Look, Darling, if I had to be there I would be. But I'd rather celebrate with you than a bunch of people I don't even like."

From across the table Magnus took my hand in his. It was bigger than mine but not board, and warm. He ran his thumb over my fingers and I started to feel more relaxed.

Really, I was beyond lucky to have him in my life. Who else cared as much as he did?

"I love you." I blurted.

For the first time since I'd met him I saw Magnus shocked into stopping. For just a second, his eyes flashed like he was terrified, and his jaw went slightly slack. I wanted to take it back.

No I didn't.

Yes I did.

He was taking so long to reply. I wanted him to say something. Anything at all. Even if he flat out told me I was stupid for saying I loved him.

Instead the waiter came back and Magnus next words were his order. He ordered for me too, which was strange, and opened up wine without anybody checking that I had ID or anything. I was quite prepared for the worst when he downed a glass before he looked back at me.

"Well I can't say I didn't see that coming." He said.

"You seemed surprised enough." My voice came out strained and Magnus put on a look of concern for a moment. He went to take my hand again but I shifted it back.

"I didn't say I saw when it was coming." He added. "Sweetpea, you know I love you too."

I snapped my head up to meet his gaze, searching for a trace of lie. What I saw there made me melt the same way I always did. I believed it. I would believe whatever he said if he said it looking at me like that.

The awkwardness dissipated after that. The food came (it tasted amazing) and we had a great time talking together. Magnus told me all about the clothes being used that night.

"I'd show you pictures, but they're on my phone."

"Nice try."

Despite how much I was enjoying myself, after a while I started to notice that it wasn't just the waiter who was looking at me oddly. There were people dotted around everywhere who kept glancing at our table. It was a curious look; like I was a different smile on the Mona Lisa and would prove the painting was a forgery if they stared long enough.

"Ignore them." Magnus instructed, pouring wine into a glass in front of me and lifting it to my lips. I raised an eyebrow and he returned with an expression that said 'I can wait here all night', so I went ahead and sipped. Honestly; I didn't really get what my parents liked so much about it. Maybe that's what the whole 'acquired taste' thing was.

After I finished the first glass I didn't care about the people watching anymore, so there was that. A couple more later and when Magnus took my hand and pulled me outside I was far to happy to care where we were going.

The cold outside hit and refreshed me, I saw that we were out on a terrace. It was fenced in and lined with plant life and faerie lights to disguise the fact that beyond it lay the dull bricks of the other city buildings. It was a much better illusion than throwing some balloons into the school gym was going to be. They'd all be listening to badly-mixed pop, too. Here there was something smooth and classical wafting through the air. I didn't find that as boring as most kids would; it was the kind of thing my parents always played in the house. It was nice, relaxing.

I didn't mind when Magnus had me dancing with him, even though he took the lead and that made it a little emasculating. It would have felt weird any other way, though. What with him being taller and, let's face it, more mature. I wouldn't have known how to lead anyway.

I was so caught up in it. The starlight, the motion, the feeling of Magnus pressed against me. Nothing else mattered. Not until he kissed me anyway.

I didn't know it until it happened but that kiss was everything I'd been waiting for. Soft and firm and attentive and selfish and all-around perfect. It had been worth it to wait for the first time I kissed Magnus. It would have happened anywhere and been magic but I still knew it was better there than it would have been leant over a JJ's booth as my family walked in or up in my bedroom right after I'd snapped at him.

I closed my eyes and when Magnus pulled back, I laughed a little. "This is probably the most cliché thing..."

"No, the cliché thing would have been an awkward kiss on your front porch." Magnus smiled and I noticed that his one of his hands was laced into my hair. The other was holding my waist to him. Still perfect.

* * *

**You were warned. Thanks for reading as always everybody; and an extra thank you to people who have been reviewing. I always try to reply but if I don't please don't think I'm being rude, I probably just don't know how to form a response without blurting out the rest of the plot. I talk/type too much.**

**Next chapter shall be "The Morning After".**


	12. The Morning After

I had no idea how I'd gotten back into the house without disturbing everybody the night before. Or how I'd had the presence of mind to be quiet when I was bubbling with excitement and buzzed on wine and high on Magnus. Izzy crept into my room at seven am in her nightdress, with her hair still oddly wavy from being brushed out of its updo.

At first I thought something was wrong; my sister never got up that early. Especially not knowing we'd both had a late night. Her grin proved to me that everything was alright.

"How was prom?" I asked her in a whisper so we wouldn't wake anybody else. Izzy started giggling and had to put a hand over her mouth to keep quiet. Then she climbed to sit cross-legged on the end of my bed.

"The best." She whispered. "Simon can't dance but he was funny."

"Hold up, this sounds like boy-talk in the house." I wagged a finger at her to remind her that she was breaking a golden-rule. She pushed my hand down.

"I came in here for boy-talk. Tell me everything."

So I told her. We had to keep stopping every time she made a squeaking sound to make sure nobody had overheard but eventually she knew the whole story. By the end she was completely awestruck.

"That was like a movie. Did you just describe a movie?"

I smiled and shook my head. Unreal at it was it had all happened. Every wonderful part. I don't know why I had been worried I wouldn't have a story to tell.

"So, want to go downstairs and watch the showcase?"

* * *

I had to go get my car in the afternoon; that hadn't been part of the plan. There was no drinking at prom but there was quite a bit out with Magnus. In the end I had to say sorry and pretend 'Raphael' had snuck something alcoholic into the hall. It explained why I'd taken painkillers for a headache too.

Jace met me out to tell me all the gory details about the night he'd had with Clary. Extended more-than-Alec-ever-wanted-to-know-about-female-an atomy edition. He told me added extras about Simon and Izzy and their geek-love moments and what dumb things all our classmates did. Helen Blackthorn won Queen but ditched the King to slow dance with my cousin Aline. So not seeing _that_ kind of sucked.

"Yeah, it was great. How was your night?"

Something about the way he asked it put me off. Jace sounded like he expected me to say something awful. I remembered the off way he'd acted towards Magnus and realised that I didn't really want to talk to Jace about him anymore. At least not until my friend dropped his attitude.

Instead he got worse.

"...Did he hurt you?" Jace said after a pause. I almost stopped the car in surprise.

"What? No!" I told him. "Why would Magnus hurt me?"

Now it was Jace who said nothing. I waited for it but he only shrugged and looked at the dashboard.

That did it.

"Okay, what is your problem with Magnus all of a sudden?" I demanded. I was getting really fed up with Jace's shit. Magnus hadn't done anything wrong. When they'd met he'd been the same fun, charming Magnus he always was and yet Jace had him pegged as some kind of horrible person.

"I guess meeting him just made it more real. I mean he's like... a cougar. Whatever the male version of that is." Jace explained. Or tried to. Because he was apparently trying to explain his reasons even though his reasons were dumb.

"He's not using me for sex, Jace," I informed him quite sternly. "We haven't even-"

"Does he want to?" Jace interrupted.

I pulled up into a random parking lot so I could look at him and not the road. The last thing I wanted to do was glance over at Jace in the heat of the moment and ram into the back of somebody.

"_I_ want to." I stressed.

Jace rolled his eyes. Years ago I thought his eyes were the most beautiful things in the world. Now they were _really_ ticking me off. "Of course _you _do." He scoffed. "That's what grooming does."

"Grooming?!" I yelled. He was going too far now. Accusing Magnus of things for no reason. I wasn't a _child_. "By the angel Jace I'm _legal_. He's not a paedophile!"

The car went deafly silent. Neither of us said a thing. Jace looked grim while I had my nails digging tiny crevices into the steering wheel. Oh well, not like I could really damage the car any more. The thing was just-about functioning as it was.

"Look," Jace continued carefully. "You asked me what my problem was. I think he's a creep."

"You know what? Fuck you." I snapped. "Magnus loves me."

"Yeah, well, you're going to think that. He's the first guy who ever said so."

The silence was back but not on purpose. My retort died on my lips. '_Whose fault is __**that**__?_' I couldn't help it if I'd only fallen for straight guys before. All the guys I _knew_ were straight. But I couldn't very well blame Jace for it either.

The fact that he would throw it back in my face, though. Like I would let Magnus do anything he wanted because I was desperate.

Alright, Magnus got his way. A lot. It was just the kind of person he was. He got his way because he knew what he was doing; because sometimes he had work and stuff and had to; because I loved him and I_ wanted_ him to have his way. I could say no at any time if I wanted to. I just didn't need to.

Jace should have got that. It wasn't all take. I got Magnus to turn his phone off, didn't I? And he skipped a huge event in his life for me.

"Alec..." I flinched when Jace tried to place a hand on my shoulder. Now he wanted to act like a friend? Well I wasn't going to be the hopeless friend to perfect Jace Wayland. Listening to him whine about the one girl in school who didn't want him because she was apparently 'the one'.

Talk about grooming? He spent _months_ trying to make Clary warm up to him.

"Get out." I ordered.

"Alec, I didn't mean-"

"Leave!" I screamed. I almost shuddered at how much like my Mother I'd sounded.

Jace did get out of the car. He shook his head like I was unbelievable. He was the unbelievable one if he thought I was going to taxi him around. He thought I was an idiot. He thought my partner was _using_ me.

I watched Jace go before I pulled my phone out of my pocket. There was only one person in the world who I wanted to speak to.

* * *

**So grateful to everybody for following this. Thank you! It turns out I wasn't as done with writing this as I thought I was a few days ago, the ending I had planned keeps extending. It just didn't feel 'finished', so I'm still typing away.**

**The next chapter will be "Other".**


	13. Other

"There's a valet. Just give him the keys. I'll meet you down in the lobby." Magnus explained. He'd given me live directions to where he lived my whole drive there.

I know, I know. You don't use your phone when you drive. At this point I didn't really care. I just wanted to see Magnus again. I thought he'd be at JJ's or work but it was neither.

I wished the night before had never ended. I should have asked Magnus to take me back home with him. I wouldn't have had to get up early or lie to my Mother again or talk to Jace at all.

I'd be happy then.

I could have quite happily _lived_ with Magnus. Magnus who, by the looks of the building, _clearly_ earned a lot more than the average person in his trade. That way I would never need to go home to serving coffee to make ends meet or awkward encounters with Robert and Annamarie ever again.

"Darling." Magnus sighed sadly when I walked in. I was only just about holding it together and he knew it.

For some reason what Jace had said had really hurt me. It shouldn't have because he hadn't said _much;_ but it did. He meant a lot more than he said with words.

"I hate him..." I croaked. Magnus frowned more.

"Let's get you upstairs." He said as he put an arm over my shoulders and guided me to the lift. If I hadn't been giving Magnus all of my attention I would have been impressed by the building itself. "Friends can be idiots."

"Jace is more than an idiot." I muttered. Magnus started moving his thumb in comforting circles over my shoulder.

"I'm sure he didn't want to upset you. He's worried for the same reason your Mother would be."

"He thinks you're using me."

The quiet that followed wasn't awkward like the quiet when I first told Magnus I loved him, or like the stressed quiet in the car with Jace. Magnus didn't need to talk. Just having him there was making me feel better.

Jace really was stupid. If Magnus didn't care I wouldn't have been there. He could have hung up on me and said he was at work but he didn't. Instead he was there to look after me. He listened like he always did.

Then we were in his place. It was basically as I thought it would be. It was all modern and designer. There were blown-up posters in glass casing on the walls; memorabilia of the best pictures he'd taken or times his designs had been photographed. In a couple of them I noticed that model from Izzy's magazines. I thought maybe some time I'd have to ask Magnus if he'd met her. My sister would flip out with excitement.

There were other things I had to do though. Things I'd decided were very important since my conversation with Jace. I turned to Magnus seriously as he strode over to see what I was looking at.

"Have sex with me." I said.

Magnus looked about as surprised as he would have been if I'd asked him to borrow his glitter. Which he'd actually been wearing a little less of. He didn't seem to know what to say and took a moment to find the words.

"Alexander, believe me when I say it isn't that I don't want to, but you're very upset right now."

I knew that he'd resist. That's because Magnus was a good guy. He didn't want to be the guy who took advantage. He went to lengths not to be anything like the person Jace thought he was.

"But you do _want to_, right? I don't want anybody to be able to say you _made_ me. I wanted to ask you." I held onto Magnus' hands and did my best to look like I was confident. I _was_ confident. I had no reason not to be. There was nobody I wanted to do that with other than Magnus.

"I'm pretty sure you _told_ me, instead of asking." Magnus smirked.

Good. If he was smirking then he wasn't being all worried about me anymore.

"Do this with me." I pleaded. And I kissed him. His lips felt as right against mine as they had the night before. "I love you." I reminded him.

When I next saw into his eyes it was obvious that Magnus had made a decision. He walked away from me and I worried that that meant rejection.

Until he called back; "Are you coming or not?"

* * *

I was catching my breath, coming down from what I could only assume was what the word 'euphoria' was invented for. Magnus was still with me, his head in the crook of my neck planting kisses along my collar bone and whispering things in a voice I wanted to spend the rest of my life listening to.

I kissed the top of his head; it was the only part of him I could reach in our position. He looked up like he was making sure I was still there.

I almost got the chance to smile back at him before somebody walked in and I instinctively pushed him off.

"Shit." Magnus cursed. I was busy covering myself up to pay much attention.

"Who is this?" A woman's outraged voice shouted.

She was beautiful, even if she was yelling, I had to concede it. You know beauty even if it isn't the kind of beauty you like. She had green eyes which were filled with anger, but I recognised them. I recognised her face and the way her blonde hair was curled. She was the actress from the magazines and the photos in the hall.

"Who are you?" I snapped back; even though I knew who she was. Camille Belcourt. An idol to girls like my sister everywhere.

What I wanted to know who she was to _Magnus_.

But I think I already had a pretty good idea.

We both looked at Magnus for an explanation. I was expecting him to look shocked or panicked or _sorry_. Instead he just looked annoyed. And even a little bored.

He was running a hand through his hair, still slightly damp from our activities. I could hardly speak.

"You have another..." I began, then hesitated realising I didn't know how to finish that sentence. "There's a woman?"

A humourless laugh came from the doorway. It made my stomach flip, and not in a good way. I thought I was going to throw up all over Magnus' bed.

"I think you'll find you're the 'other', chérie." Camille said in a heavy French accent, striding over to me on graceful legs which reminded me of how she'd modelled in that showcase even though she wasn't particularly tall or as young as the usual models. She was a guest star or something.

That would explain why Magnus had been free to leave his phone off that night. She wasn't about to call him from the catwalk.

Maybe I should have been worried about the pretty people he worked with after all. Or maybe not. When she displayed her left hand in front of my face I started to shake, realising work most likely had nothing to do with it.

She was wearing a wedding band and sharply letting me know: "I'm his wife."

"_Darling_..." Magnus interjected. And it hurt that I didn't know which one of us he was talking to.

The room had started to spin. Words failed me, I stuttered.

"I... I... I"

I what? I couldn't believe it. I felt sick. I was so, _so_ sorry.

My clothes hadn't gotten very far but getting up completely bare in front of Magnus' wife to retrieve them was by far the worst experience of my life. I tried to be fast but my body wouldn't let me. It felt like I was surrounded by fog thick as mud. I couldn't breathe with the lump in my throat.

What had I done?

* * *

**Goodness, posting this is terrifying. I hope it meets expectations and that it, you know, 'fits'. Thank you all so much for reading. The next chapter "So Much More Than Sorry" is coming very soon.**


	14. So Much More Than Sorry

_It was a Sunday like every other lazy Sunday spent at home when the weather was gloomy: Comfortably dull with nothing much going on and no desire to do anything anyway. All morning a History textbook had been open on my desk surrounded by clutter; paper and books and DVD cases. I hadn't so much as glanced at it since I'd turned to the homework._

_"You want to go? Go!" Mother yelled. Not her usual, controlled yelling either. It was a shockingly anguished sound which I was never meant to hear. I ran out into the hall to see what was wrong. "Just get out Robert!" _

_My feet froze on the spot at the mention of my Father's name. I didn't know what to do with myself; go forward and listen to them argue or turn away and pretend there wasn't a row going on down the hall._

_There was never really any question though. I crept a few steps closer to the shouting. I passed a number of photo frames on the way. Mother insisted on hanging them on the walls. Pictures of her family._

_Looking back it was so obvious what was happening that Sunday; at the time I couldn't comprehend it. At least not until Robert burst out of my parents' room with a thunderous expression. He held an overstuffed holdall in one hand and his mobile phone in the other. He stood stock still when he saw me there._

_"Keep walking! I'm sure Annamarie is waiting!" Mother yelled again. He flinched. _

_"Maryse..." He ventured, putting a hand up to hold off the questions I didn't know I wanted to ask yet. Who was Annamarie? Why was Mother so angry? Where was he going?_

_"I don't want to hear it!" She continued to shout. A bundle of clothing hit him in the back of the head._

_He took a sobering breath. "Alexander-"_

_"Is going to be devastated-" Mother interrupted._

_"-is here." He finished._

* * *

That hadn't been the last time I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Camille and Magnus were still arguing by the time I was fully dressed. I didn't think that they would even see me go.

"Alexander, wait." Magnus said. I realised he did that a lot; asked with statements. I used to find it endearing, captivating even, that he was so self-assured. Now I just saw how manipulative it was not to leave room for argument.

I ignored Magnus; not least of all because I could barely look at him. I turned to Camille instead. "I'm sorry."

She didn't seem effected at all. Why should she be? Sorry wasn't even close to good enough.

"I would never have- If I'd known-" I tried but no words would come. I was the _other_ one. I felt so betrayed but I knew I had no right to be. Camille was the one who had been betrayed; I was the terrible human being who enabled her husband to cheat on her. "I can't apologise enough-"

I was the _other _one. I was Annamarie; or just like her anyway. A woman I always hated for what she did to my family.

Family. For a spilt second I was terrified that the couple in front of me could have had children. I could have been responsible for more kids like me who resented their Father. Kids like Izzy who didn't know who to trust anymore. Kids like Max with no clue what was happening when everything around them was falling apart.

"Ca m'est égal." Camille waved a hand at me in a 'shooing' motion. I knew then that it didn't matter how many times I said sorry because Magnus was the one she really wanted to hear it from.

I ran out of their apartment. I was the worst. I hadn't just been a phone full of dirty text correspondence or an item of alien clothing that wasn't hidden properly. She had practically walked in on us in the act. I'd left mess on her _sheets_ as well as her life.

My phone was ringing. My eyes were blurry when I tried to read out the name. When had I started crying? I wiped my eyes and saw that it was Magnus. I hit end-call but he was ringing again seconds later. In my haste to make the ringing stop I gave the phone to the valet when he handed me my keys back. It's not like I had any money to tip him with.

The drive home was difficult and fuzzy. I think I ran a red light. I know I got yelled at and beeped at a lot. I had to get home. Away from Magnus and his fancy apartment and the billboards of his wife looking perfect.

It took far too long.

I parked up with more of the car on the front lawn than the driveway before I could shoot inside. It was yet another stroke of bad luck that my Mother caught sight of me running upstairs. She followed me up, asking what was wrong and why I was upset.

I couldn't face her. I just kept thinking back to how she'd been hurt and how I'd done that to somebody else. I didn't have a lock so I had to sit against my bedroom door to keep her from coming in after me.

"Alexander, talk to me." She called in. She was so worried about me. I didn't deserve that. The door shook with her attempts to get in and I had to keep pressing back against it.

I squeezed my eyes shut too. How long can a person cry for? Too long. I ground my teeth together in frustration. Why did everything have to happen at once?

"I'm fine, Mother, please just go?" I called out to her with my head in my hands. "I'll be fine. I just need to be by myself."

"He had a fight with Jace, he'll be okay." The sound of Izzy's voice coming to my rescue was the only thing I had to be happy about.

Until she offered to talk to me instead and started attacking the door with more force. That was when I started to notice the sharp pain I was getting from being sat down. I started to hate myself even more with every second reminding me exactly why it was hurting. Magnus had warned me that would probably happen.

"Izzy?" My voice was so hoarse I had to clear my throat so that my sister could hear me. "Izzy I'm going to get up. Stop pushing or the door will hit me."

"Are you going to let me in?" She demanded, with another threateningly hard shove to the door. I winced when it made me shift.

"No." I said.

"Then I won't stop!" She yelled back.

She did stop, eventually. Max was coming home from a friends and Mother didn't want him to worry. She called in to invite me downstairs for dinner but I didn't reply and I definitely wasn't going down there.

Instead while they ate I pushed my wardrobe and bed in front of the door. I wasn't coming out again. Not until they'd all left the house.

I packed a bag ready for when I had the chance to leave. Then I lay on my bed and tried to think about anywhere I could go.

* * *

**Thank you all for reading and for your responses to the previous chapter. I think the quick update may have been much needed? This one seems oddly short to me which is weird because the word count is similar to all the others. Ah, well. The next chapter is "A Friend In Need", hope you enjoy.**


	15. A Friend In Need

There was only black. I saw nothing and thought about nothing in my dreamless sleep. It was wonderful.

I was woken up by Jace.

"Shit." I gasped, nearly having a heart attack. Jace looked around the mess I'd made of my room and let out a low whistle.

"You do know you share that bathroom with your sister, right?" I looked at the open door to the bathroom. I'd forgotten all about the second entrance. Brilliant. "If you wanted to block yourself in you should have locked her door."

Jace was acting so normal. It made me feel bad about the way I'd told him off. He'd been _right_. Magnus was no good for me. He was a creep and I couldn't believe how I'd treated my best friend for his sake.

"What are you doing here, Jace?" I didn't mean to sound so resentful when I asked. I just couldn't see anybody. Nobody I'd wronged and nobody who had wronged me. That was pretty much everyone I knew out.

"Izzy said you were majorly torn up about something. I called you to talk about it but some random guy picked up." Jace explained. I just kept looking at the open door and worrying about how just about anybody could have walked in.

"Can you go lock them out?" I asked. I would have got up and done it myself but I didn't want to be the weirdo who got up and trapped his friend in his bedroom. I didn't actually want to move either. Lying on my stomach had been really working for me.

Jace didn't seem happy about it but he went into the bathroom and locked the door anyway. When he came back he swung a leg over my desk chair and rested his arms on the back. A movement which would have been a lot more graceful if I didn't have the chair on its highest setting on account of my long legs.

He was waiting for my explanation and I felt I owed him that much. I was lucky to still have a friend in Jace who would come to check up on me just because my sister said I was in a bad mood. He should have been totally blanking me.

"I gave my phone to a valet. When Magnus' wife kicked me out of their apartment." I told him.

I was glad that I hadn't started to cry over it with Jace there. In all honesty, by that point I felt a little numb to it all. Not like I'd forgotten, don't get me wrong, I was crushed. It was more like my brain couldn't process that it had _really_ happened.

Jace's gold eyes widened. "He has a wife? You're sure?"

"If he doesn't then leaving him alone with that angry madwoman who thinks she is was probably a big mistake." I stared at the bed and started picking loose fluff from the sheets. My own nonchalance had surprised me. I guess being around my friend was keeping me from getting all emotional.

Jace cursed. And cursed again. I blinked at him, confused by the outburst. For somebody who hated Magnus he was reacting pretty oddly.

"I knew I should have said something."

I recoiled. Not Jace, too. I was so done with secrets and betrayal and all that crap. I managed to sit up without making my discomfort too noticeable. "You knew about this?"

"No! I mean, not really." He stumbled uncharacteristically. "It's just, in the coffee shop..."

"What about it?" I urged. I had to know. Even though I wouldn't have been able to handle it if Jace had known about all this. Come to think of it, maybe Izzy had known. All those interviews with Camille she read and Magnus didn't come up at all? But no. She would have told me right away. "You have to tell me, Jace."

"I _thought_ I saw him take a ring off when he saw you, okay? He put his hand in his pocket and then it was gone. But I thought 'No way.'" Jace told me.

I remembered how awkward and suspicious Jace had seemed at JJ's and it started to make sense. I probably would have stared Magnus down too if it had been the other way around; looking for any sign to confirm what I'd seen.

"Why didn't you say something?" I breathed.

"Would you have believed me?"

I was ashamed to admit that I probably wouldn't have. I would have told him he got it wrong; maybe that he saw glitter nail polish in the light and the glint confused him. Come to think about it... When I first met Magnus...

I was so stupid.

"I kinda hoped that if I ran him down enough you'd leave him on your own." Jace said, regrettably. "And we wouldn't have to find out if he was really..."

"Married." I finished for him. Saying the word still made me feel ill. It made me remember Robert - who, hey, I might as well start calling Father again. It's not like he's any worse than me - leaving the house. I kept picturing myself as Annamarie.

Anna realising that there was an age gap.

Anna getting touchy about all the texting.

Anna wishing the wife didn't exist.

That last one was so spiteful but so true. I wished that Camille didn't exist. I didn't hate her, that wasn't it. I just hated the role she'd been cast in. I would have wished any woman (or man) gone. I didn't _mean_ to want what she had. I just did. So much.

"I'm just like her." I said to myself.

"The wife?" Jace raised an eyebrow at me. So natural. It was good to know nothing had really changed between _us_, at least.

I shook my head at him. "The mistress."

We talked for a long time about that, about how Jace didn't think I was a bad person because I hadn't known. I told him about what Camille had walked in on, what me and Magnus had done together. He was more shocked to hear that his wife was a star like Camille.

When he noticed my packed bag and we talked about that, too. How I didn't want to have to see my Mother knowing what I'd done and what had happened to her. Jace didn't think it was a good idea. He said I'd only worry her if I up and left without an explanation. I reminded him that I was the right age to move out and he reminded me that I didn't have any money. So that plan went out the window.

Jace helped me put my room back in order, seems as I would be staying in there, and offered to be there when I tried to explain myself to my Mother. I told him it was alright so he offered to go get my phone back for me. That one I said yes to and tossed him the keys to the car (Jace drove but he didn't have a vehicle of his own).

A few hasty directions later and he was gone, opening the door to an eavesdropping little sister. I smiled sadly.

There were a few things I had to tell her. She deserved to know what had really happened with our parents and she deserved to find out now that I knew what I was talking about. I'd finally be able to give her a rounded account without sounding like I was trying to make her choose a side; because I wasn't sure there were even sides to choose between anymore.

"Come in, Izzy. I think it's about time I started talking to you again..."

* * *

**Keeping fingers crossed that this made sense and didn't seem to come out of nowhere! Thank you for reading thus far, everybody, "One and the Same" is coming next.**


	16. One and the Same

You know how some families have defining traits? You could just assume things about some people by the family they come from. Like how Penhallows weren't quick to anger; and you've got no in hell hope of finding a Wayland with a long attention span.

Lightwoods didn't cry. At least, we weren't supposed to.

I'd only seen my Mother cry once in my entire life. Isabelle a couple more times which usually had more to do with pain than it did genuine upset. Even then, by the time she was five Izzy was tackling the boys in the school playground and getting grit in her knees without flinching.

No, tears were not for public. They belonged confined to private rooms where nobody could see you hurting. It was one of those things I felt as though I'd known my entire life; I couldn't place for the life of me when I'd learnt it. I did know that Izzy had the same attitude long engrained into her, though. Which made it all the more heart wrenching to watch her try to hold it together while I told her the truth behind the divorce.

It was a lot for her to take in. Izzy had been listening to my conversation with Jace through the door – which was patient, for her, normally she would have barged in as soon as the barricade was gone – and had probably expected me to break down on her with my own problems when the door was eventually opened for her.

Instead I had another story for her. She found herself discovering that her Father had been cheating for longer than she'd been alive. Something her brother who she trusted with all her secrets had kept from her for months. She trembled as I spoke and I could only imagine what she must have been thinking.

She was going to be mad, I knew. I would have been if I were her, being allowed to defend a guy I should have been angry at for weeks and weeks when I didn't have all the information- Ouch. Okay. I definitely knew how she felt.

Isabelle didn't leave the room like I thought she might. She just buried her head into my shoulder where I couldn't see her. I felt moisture soak through my collar and felt the lump in my throat threatening to choke me again. A sensation I was not happy to be becoming familiar with.

"So, what, he never wanted us anyway?" Isabelle sobbed.

By the Angel. It was painful putting her through this.

I stroked her hair calmingly; it looped wildly where it was falling from a poorly-made bun and half of it was cascading down her back. Falling apart. I had no idea what to do. It was difficult trying to be the comforting one when you had no way to help the situation.

"He told me that he still cares about us, Izzy." I said softly.

She shook and made a noise that pretty much said she didn't believe me. "Yeah. Sure does sound like it."

Things had been so much easier when she didn't know. Of course, the easy way isn't always the right way, and all those words of wisdom. Really, though? What good did making Izzy completely turn on one of her parents do?

She was already mad at him anyway, forming her opinion by herself. Pushing her over the edge wasn't helping anybody.

I didn't know what to say to her. It was hard to get my thoughts into order. Mainly because I had no idea how I felt about anything anymore. Everything in my mind was a jumbled mess of nonsensical double standards that I was trying to sort.

I was still as disgusted by my Father as I was the day he'd left the house. What he did took immoral to whole new levels, in my book. I still had this hatred for him. The way he'd made my Mother feel. The way he'd been so stony as we grew up and turned on me completely when I didn't turn out the way he wanted. I hated that he ever had a mistress and that she was the most important thing to him now. I hated that my little sister was crying and that instead of being there for her I had to figure all this crap out.

Because I hated Magnus, too. He was a liar and a user and a cheater. Everything that made me sick to my stomach. But I couldn't get past loving him. I was head-over-heels in love with him. First boyfriend and centre of my whole world in love with him.

I wanted to believe that Magnus loved me too. Maybe he couldn't help it. And yeah, he went about it all wrong, but maybe I could forgive that. I could forgive love, couldn't I? But didn't that mean forgiving my Father too? And shouldn't I have been worrying about my family life before I worried about some guy?

I was starting to see why Mother had drank so much in the weeks after her breakup. This was hard. All my ideas about right what was right or wrong and what was forgivable or not had completely gone out the window.

All the while I had Izzy there. And she needed me. I had to be surer of myself than I was for her sake. When I'd found out I had struggled with nothing stable to hold onto. My sister had me for guidance about how to react and what to do with herself. I had to encourage a path which was healthy and good for her. In spite of not having a clue what I was doing with myself.

So, I had to make a snap judgement.

Instinct kicked in to remind me what I'd wanted for Izzy in the first place. I didn't tamper with her and Father's relationship because they were happy as they were. She didn't need that kind of thing dragged up to put bad feelings between them.

Since then more had happened and there had been more strain between them. Once again, that was kind of on me. Isabelle had been so angry when he'd banned me from his house. Alright, I couldn't have kept a fundamental part of me a secret _forever_. Nonetheless, we always knew he wasn't going to react well. The man wasn't the most liberal of people.

All along I'd been secretly hoping it would all work out well for them. For me it was hopeless, with the way he felt, but the rest of my family deserved to move along. To be happy together.

I never wanted my sister to share the animosity I felt.

It seemed like the only way I was going to keep things civil and happy was by being civil and happy myself. In that moment I took on a new resolve: Learn to forgive Robert Lightwood.

* * *

**This one was a struggle. I kept going back and changing it over and over. It's muddled, I know, but so is the narrator. **

**Thank you all for reading! As of yesterday this became my most faved story, so I'm feeling all the more grateful. "Understanding" is the next chapter!**


	17. Understanding

"Robert isn't happy that I came here." Annamarie said the moment she sat down. I wanted to tell her that nobody was happy right then. If everybody was happy then I wouldn't be meeting up with her.

Anna had chosen the place. Another coffee shop, one of the corporate nightmares my Father loved. The barista had wrinkled her nose at my worn out clothes. I was getting drinks for my Father's mistress. As if a hole in my jumper came anywhere close to high on my list of priorities.

The truth was that I had to talk to Anna to ease my mind. Isabelle, however upset she was, hadn't been mad at me for what had happened between me and Magnus. At least, I didn't think she was. But she _was_ really angry that I'd kept things from her. So I was getting the not-so-silent treatment. By that I mean she huffed around a lot and said things like 'I'm not talking to you, but-' before she launched into conversation. No big deal. We weren't talking about it anymore in any case, and Jace didn't really _get it_ when I said I found it hard to forget about Magnus.

Anna would understand. I knew she would. It was weird having this understanding with her now. I had to stop hating her, for one thing. I couldn't afford to hate myself that much.

"Thanks for coming anyway." I said. I didn't feel settled about being around her yet. She was watching me expectantly. Of course, she knew I had something big to talk about already.

"Well?" She said. Well what? 'Well hurry up and spill it', that's what Izzy meant when she talked to me like that.

So I began to tell her my story. She listened curiously while I went over everything. And I mean _everything_. I knew she was going to tell my Father and that he, in turn, would tell Mother. I guess part of me wanted that. No more lying. I'd either be forgiven or I wouldn't, but I would be honest. I'd have a clear conscience. That was all I wanted anymore.

Anna was quiet, for the most part, observing. She didn't react to Magnus' gender because she already knew I wasn't straight, she wasn't shocked by his age; she hadn't a care about the fact he had a wife. That was to be expected.

"And you're just giving up and slinking out of there?" She finally said. As if this was some kind of battle that I'd lost.

"I feel terrible about it." I said. Biggest understatement ever.

Anna didn't seem to understand. That made me all the more unsettled. She was supposed to get it. That's why I was there.

"She's not your problem." She continued dismissively. "This 'Magnus' person is her Husband. If he chooses to ignore his wife then that's not even your business."

"What do you mean 'not my problem'?" I asked, shocked she was overlooking how involved I was. "She caught us in bed!"

We were both quiet for a couple moments, waiting for the people who'd looked up at my outburst to go back to what they were doing. Anna stared down somebody behind me, presumably until quit looking over at us. Then she gestured over towards him.

"If Camille told you not to date that guy you wouldn't turn him down, right? She's nothing to you. What she thinks doesn't matter."

I went a little slack-jawed. I hadn't accounted for the fact Anna might be evilly remorseless.

"But I _enabled_ him to-" I began.

"You want to feel better, don't you?" She interrupted darkly, finishing the last gulp of her drink which had probably gotten cold while I had been talking earlier. "All the advice I can give you is to stop blaming yourself."

With that she left. Before I could say another word besides 'but'; strutting out and pulling her phone from her bag. She was probably telling my Father everything right there and then.

"She's pretty cold, isn't she?"

My heart stopped. It was _his_ voice. The thick accent that I could never place but would know anywhere.

Magnus.

I got up and kept my eyes on the ground. I wasn't going to look at him. I was going to get out of there. I didn't like the place anyway. It was stupid. Magnus had stopped coming to JJ's, on my shifts at the very least. This must have been his new place.

His hand wrapped firmly around my arm before I walked away. It was the day we met all over again. Only I was a different kind of nervous.

"Sit, please. We need to talk." He told-asked me. I did sit. He got me with that one every time.

"You don't have to formally break up with me Magnus." My voice sounded so bitter and for once I truly meant for it to sound that way. "I think we can both agree we're done."

"Are we?" Magnus actually-asked.

"Yes." I hissed.

"She had a point, the woman." Magnus waved his hand flippantly while he tried to remember Annamarie's name. He was wearing a silver wedding band. "Anna, was it? It wasn't up to you to worry about Cammie."

"She's 'Cammie' now? That's a big step up from not existing." I was sneering down at the table, pretty sure the fact I couldn't look Magnus in the eye was proving I was more upset than I let on. Being near him was difficult. I wanted to hit him and hug him and run away all at the same time.

"She always _existed_, Alexander. And I was always going to tell you."

I settled on running away and began to get up out of my seat. Magnus put his hands on the sides of my face, gently, and tilted my head in his direction to look at him. He had more makeup than usual on his left cheek, which was odd given that he'd been laying off the foundation for a long time now. He was covering something. Did somebody hit him? Who? Camille?

Jace had gotten my phone back for me. It could easily have been him. I made a mental note to ask him about it. He had looked pretty smug when he'd delivered it but I figured he just enjoyed bullying valet-guy.

I shook my head a little, hoping Magnus would let go of me. It was so intimate. _Too_ intimate.

All Magnus was doing was reminding me of our time together, how wrong it was and how horrible I was for wishing we could go back to that.

I wanted to get happy butterflies when he teased me. I wanted to call him an idiot when he turned up to my house in his dumb fake glasses and watch his eyes light up when I talked him to death about something that should have been boring, like the Tudors.

"And then you told me about your parents." Magnus continued. His eyes still held mine intently. He was half-smiling, like in his head this was a funny misunderstanding. "And I thought 'crap, this kid won't react well'.'"

"You _think_?" I tugged away. Magnus sighed.

"You're so young, sweetpea." I flinched at the term of endearment. I shouldn't have been hearing him out. Not when I _really_ wanted to forgive him. It was too much of a risk. "There's so much more to sexuality than you've ever encountered. It isn't cut-and-dry as 'monogamous or cheating.'"

"I'm sorry, Magnus, but it is to me." I told him firmly. I took a step back before he could touch me again. He seemed crushed that I wasn't listening. It was a far cry from the bored irritation he'd shown in bed just a few days before.

"Alexander-" He began, following me on my way out the door.

"Maybe I don't understand." I interjected. "If this kind of thing is normal to you, Magnus..."

Outside he stood in front of the door to the driver's seat. With my hand turning the key in the lock I was almost flush against him. He even smelled perfect.

Why did his _one_ flaw have to be something like _this_?

"It _is_ normal. Cammie does her own thing, I do mine."

I said nothing. If it was normal then surely his wife wouldn't have been angry about it?

Come to think of it, though, she hadn't screamed like my Mother had. They'd just bickered. On top of that she obviously she hadn't left him or he wouldn't have his ring on. And Magnus had been so... Unconcerned. Like maybe he'd been through all of it before.

I wasn't sure that made it alright.

I _didn't_ understand. Magnus and his wife clearly functioned in an unusual way but it would take a lot more time and talking for him to explain that dynamic to me.

"Darling, I _love_ you." He said. His tone was pleading; he was saying so much more.

Stay. Listen.

I couldn't. "I love you too, Magnus. I want you to be happy."

Magnus smiled sadly. "But?"

It felt weirdly uplifting that he encouraged me to say it. Like he saw where I was coming from. For once I was sure somebody wouldn't be mad at me.

Even if Magnus was still the only person I wanted, he'd never be mine. Not all mine, anyway. I couldn't give all of me to somebody who wouldn't reciprocate. I'd seen how that could hurt a person.

"But I can't always be 'the other one'."

* * *

**Ever grateful to everybody reading! At first, I planned to end the story here. But I realized that there was more I wanted to do with it so that didn't work out. (I also thought about doing a Magnus POV sequel to show what's been going on with him this whole time but I'm not sure if I will.)**

**Up next here is "On The Edge Of Caring". **


	18. On The Edge Of Caring

As predicted, Anna told all. But it wasn't until the next day that anything was done about it.

I was finally having that kick around with Max out in the garden. He told me all about his friends at school and how Mother still wouldn't let him wear contacts at his age. It was a good time, and it was funny how it made me remember how important family was right as Father appeared and called me inside. Mother was beside him, looking squeamish. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on.

"We'll play again tomorrow." I promised Max before ruffling his messy hair and handing him the ball back.

When I went inside it was an odd kind of foreboding. I knew that what was happening wasn't good, yeah, but I was already resigned to it. Not quite past caring… But pretty close.

I walked between them, Mother leading us to the dining room and Father behind me as if to make sure I didn't try to run for it. I glanced over my shoulder at him, he wasn't looking at me, he was watching her.

I was the only one to sit down once the door was shut on all of us. The pair of them stood on the other side of the table. It kind of reminded me of this one time Jace and me got called to the Headteacher's office. Except now I'd done more than rig Sebastian Verlac's locker with purple paint (part of a prank-war gone wrong), and there was nobody there to take the blame with me.

"Alexander." Mother began. Her voice was far too level. It was hard to read what she was feeling. It probably didn't help having her ex there. She went into this hyper-controlled mode around him. Altogether _too_ guarded, so it was obvious she was trying hard. "You met up with Annamarie yesterday."

Not a question. No response. I waited to see where they wanted to go with it and Father got impatient.

"Would you like to explain yourself or should we just accept Annamarie's story?" He said.

I almost flinched when he said her name. As if Mother wasn't standing right there. Her jaw seemed to set a little firmer. Angels, could I be any worse? Talk to her before you talk to your own Mother, why don't you, Alec? It's not like she's upset about being replaced or anything.

"My Tutor... Wasn't my Tutor." I said after much deliberation about if I should speak at all.

The two of them stayed unnaturally unreactive. They were so intent on doing nothing that they'd become stone-like. "And Raphael doesn't exist. Actually, no, that's another lie. He's a guy on Dumont High Field. But he's not gay and we don't actually speak-"

"Alexander..." Mother interrupted. It wasn't an angered interruption; it sounded more like she was telling me to calm down. My rambling thing was back.

"And I didn't really go to prom. I went out to dinner with Magnus." I added quickly, to make up for the useless waffling. They both shared a surprised glance at one another. When they looked back at me, I probably looked surprised too. For a moment there, it was like before all the mess.

"Dinner? Then the two of you didn't... Have sex?" Mother looked so relieved that I felt _really_ bad about having to tell her the truth. Honesty, however, was my new number-one rule.

"...We had sex." I admitted.

The floor became very interesting to me very quickly as my face started to heat up. I didn't want to know what kind of images were going through my parents' heads. The whole situation was made a little more awkward by the fact last time Magnus had been in this room, Mother had tried to make a pass at him.

I was pretty hasty to carry on speaking before I dwelled on that for too long.

"Not on prom night, the next day. That was the only time."

She came to my side, then. I wondered what she was going to do. I wasn't expecting her eyes to look so wet when she crouched down next to me. Didn't she realise what I'd _done_? She took hold of one of my hands. Like I was a victim. Hardly. I told him to sleep with me. Impatient, self-assured me.

"And he turned out to have a wife you didn't know about?" Mother asked, sounding like she might just cry again. I prayed she wouldn't. There'd been too many tears in the Lightwood house that year. I nodded at her to confirm; afraid that saying it out loud might set her off. Set both of us off.

"Sick bastard." I heard Father mutter. If you ask me, more than a little hypocritical of him, but who was I to judge?

Mother judged instead with a raised eyebrow. Her ex-husband sighed.

"I've done some things I'm not proud of, Maryse, but don't you think this is worse?" He looked disgusted. It was weird that he wasn't directing his sneer towards me. I thought he would say something like 'I told you so'. I wasn't expecting a shred of sympathy. Truthfully I never imagined he'd want to talk to me about it at all once Anna told him the story.

"This is awful." Mother responded. I noted that she didn't confirm or deny how it was in relation to their situation.

"He didn't force me." I said. Just because I had to. They were getting the wrong idea about it all. Magnus never bullied me into anything. Just because I hadn't known about Camille didn't take away from the fact we'd both been consenting and legal.

"Just because he didn't do it _forcefully_ doesn't mean he didn't _make you_." Father said. I was stunned. He was the type of man who didn't give out compassion easily, even before he hated me. I wasn't sure if we had some kind of understanding now or if he was just trying to convince himself I wouldn't willingly climb into bed with a guy twelve years older than me. I hoped it was the first option. "We do very stupid things for people when they make us think they're worth it."

That sounded like a dig. Not just a dig at Magnus; a dig at Anna. I wanted to ask about it but I didn't want to bring her up again with Mother there. There was already enough awkwardness in the room.

"I'm sorry for not saying anything." I said instead. It was really all I could say and it sucked to know that they wanted more than that. There wasn't anything else I could do when I couldn't go back in time. There would be so many things I'd change.

We didn't speak for much longer. Mother tried to tell me it wasn't my fault. Same old lines that Izzy and Jace had been using. Nobody I'd told seemed to think any worse of me. Not even a little.

It was good to have my family stand by me but there was something unjust about that, too. I was raised knowing that when you did things like _lie_ - and by the angel I'd lied - there were consequences. Everybody was overlooking how bad I'd been to them with all my secrets because they felt bad for me. I felt like something bad should have happened; they felt like my upset and having to take a painkiller to sit comfortably for a couple days was enough. How could it possibly be enough?

The next surprise of the day was that before my Father left, he wrote down and gave me a change of address. I didn't know he'd moved, but I assumed that meant my ban from his place was lifted. I followed him out onto the porch. It seemed like every time he went to leave he left me with questions.

"Where has all this come from?" I asked, this time, instead of standing dumb and on looking as he drove off.

"Nobody wants to see bad things happen to their kids, Alexander." He sighed, leaning against the fence like he knew the conversation wasn't over. Things were different, now, that much was certain. He was actually going to talk to me.

"But you hated me."

"There's a part of you I don't think much of." He said grimly. For a moment I worried I'd recalled all of his spite back. "But you're still my son and I want the best for you."

I went to speak, to thank him. Or to ask him more questions, possibly about Anna and the house move, and ruin it all. I never found out which because he raised a hand to stop me.

"If this is a part of you… Fine. I can learn to live with it. But if you're going to be with men, I want him to be a good man. Good for you."

"Did you rehearse that?" I blurted. It had been fairly well worded for on-the-spot.

Father laughed instead of looking annoyed. He was unusually happy in such a way that I'd never seen him. "I did. But I meant it."

"Uh... Alec?" I heard Izzy call. She was hurrying towards the house with Simon tailing her. Today was the time for déjá-vu.

When Izzy got close enough she raised the magazine in her hand pointedly. "You're going to want to see this."

* * *

**Thanks again! You guys are probably going to become completely sick of thank-yous. I'm catching up to myself as I write, at the moment. My reserve of completed chapters for speedy updates is depleting and that puts me into panic mode. Which is better than my do-nothing mode, I guess. The next chapter title is 'No Cyber-Mercy'. **


	19. No Cyber-Mercy

"On the plus side, it's a great picture of you?"

That was Simon's terrible attempt at lightening the mood. Obviously it didn't work. He, my sister and I had gone to her room out of the way to talk about whatever it was that Izzy had found. That happened to be a magazine with Camille on the cover. Why would she want to show me that? Because me and Magnus were on the cover too. In a smaller picture coupled by a lewd caption about Magnus having an affair.

My eyes widened and I held the magazine close to my face trying to see the image more closely. I was seething. "Who _took_ that?"

"There are more inside." Izzy said uncomfortably. I nearly tore the magazine trying to find them.

There was a double page spread; mostly images and captions, not an awful lot of writing. People who read that kind of trash were more interested in judging what they saw then hearing the actual story. This was a garbage publication even by Isabelle's typical teenage standards.

All of the photos were phone-quality snaps from what would have been prom night. I couldn't understand how I hadn't noticed them being taken. The restaurant hadn't exactly been brimming with people on their mobiles. The picture of Magnus holding wine to my lips was accompanied by a caption about how I was probably a minor.

Somehow seeing it in print made it seem… dubious. It wasn't the two of us out having a good time anymore. Now it was a grown man encouraging a teenager to drink until all the camera-phones went unnoticed.

It was becoming very clear why we'd been getting so many looks. Go figure that Magnus' usual table was actually Camille's usual table too. The regulars – the waiters – had all known about her. And judging by the evidence in front of me they assumed that I knew as well.

"This isn't…" I took a seat on the bed shakily. "It's not a 'big' magazine, right?"

It could have just been a minor blip. There were gossipy things like this everywhere. They all looked the same to me, anyway. It was wishful thinking, though, to think some good luck might actually come my way in the midst of all this.

As Isabelle shook her head I knew it was hopeless. Just as things were looking up, Magnus had dragged me back down again.

"Sorry, Alec..." She said.

I growled and threw the magazine onto the floor, frustrated. Were they even allowed to do that? Just take pictures of people without permission and use them to tell whatever story they liked? They were completely twisting it and everybody was going to believe them. People always believed the story they heard first.

"They haven't used your name?" Simon offered pathetically. As if my identity would stay secret for long if the girls from my school read that stuff. The only little consolation there was that I wouldn't have to walk the halls with them knowing, with school over. They'd still tell everybody.

Everybody would know. How was I supposed to forget all about what Magnus had done with something like this hanging over my head?

Just hours before I'd been an unsuspecting, mislead teen. There was even a picture in there highlighting that Magnus had taken off his wedding ring. Now I was about to become known for sleeping with an actress' husband. Based on pictures taken _before_ that even happened.

Apparently nobody ever told these people that overdone 'never assume' thing.

"Maybe we can do something about it..." Isabelle pondered out loud. I didn't see her finding an excuse or way around this one. I rolled my eyes.

"I can't exactly tell them the photos are fakes, can I?" I said cynically.

"You can tell them you didn't know." She suggested. It would be pointless to contact them. They wouldn't even consider publishing one disclaiming quote from a nobody like me when they had a whole spread on an upcoming movie-star's love life. They wouldn't care what I said because what I said only mattered to me.

And who was I?

Izzy paled when she checked her phone. I felt my stomach drop when she started to tug on the ends of her hair nervously.

"What is it?" I asked. Daring her to tell me things had gotten worse. Waiting for it.

"Okay, don't freak out or anything." She said. "But it's online."

I definitely freaked out.

* * *

I'd wasted the rest of the day at my computer screen, I realised when I noticed how dark it had gotten outside.

As it turned out fans can get very defensive of their celebrity idols. The comment section of the online article was a warzone. The trouble was there were just two armies: Team Camille and Team Magnus. Neither of these were on my side. I was just the poor sap sat in no-man's land taking all the hits.

"Alexander, you haven't touched your food." I heard my Mother say. Earlier on she'd left a plate on the desk beside me. 'Special' circumstances excused me from the family meal downstairs. She was collecting the plate now, I didn't even look up from the comment I was reading.

"Look, Mother." My voice cracked unpleasantly when I spoke. "Apparently I'm a 'man-stealing slut', now."

Because, you know, I _so_ backed Magnus into a corner one day and forced him to bother with me. The things that people came up with were so stupid. So, so stupid, and wrong.

So why did I feel rotten?

I felt a hand rubbing kind circles on my back as Mother leant over to read some of the comments on the screen. I almost didn't care that they were going to make her feel as ill as I felt.

"'This kid must give really great...'" She trailed off before finishing the comment. If I'd bothered to look at her I might have seen her blush.

"Head, Mother." I completed. "'Must give really great head to make anybody cheat on Camille'. Camille is perfect, you see."

"I think you should stop reading these..." Mother suggested. I was much too far gone, though; I wanted to know everything being said about me.

And by the Angel, were things being said about me. Just when my family had me convinced I wasn't the bad guy I managed to find a place where hundreds of anonymous people hated me. It was insane, considering Magnus was so low-key he was never recognised in public. Everybody had jumped on this outraged band-waggon without even considering that, like them, I wouldn't have been able to pick Camille Belcourt's husband out of a line-up just a few days before. They didn't even share a last name for goodness sake!

But the fans were merciless, like most people behind the safety of a computer screen were. My name had been posted, by then, half the classes I took and...

I hit refresh.

Yup. There we go. Accusations that I was sleeping with the staff at school.

I shook my head; I didn't know who the people from my school were but without a doubt they'd be sharing the link with all their friends. I just wished that their friends were my friends too. If anybody had said anything in my defence then I hadn't seen it. And I'd seen everything. I would have responded myself if I didn't think it would make it worse. Watching the comments accumulate was one thing; if people were specifically replying to me I wasn't sure I could take it.

The screen went black and I took a panicked glance at my Mother who was holding the plug in her hand.

"No more." She said. "These people aren't worth listening to, Alexander."

"I didn't know..." I said, hoarsely. Mother came to put her arms around me.

It was still comforting, even at my age, to know that she was there for me. My whole family was there for me and my friends too. I knew that, and in theory they were the only people that mattered. But it was still hard to ignore everybody else.

I could only hope that I wouldn't be noticed in public. Magnus never was, maybe we'd both be safe. Or maybe not now that there were pictures published of both of us. Who knew? All I really knew was that I couldn't read those comments anymore if I wanted to keep surviving.

* * *

**Still not 100% satisfied with this one but if I keep re-writing the same chapter I'll never finish. I hope you guys enjoyed it, anyway, thank you for reading. Next is "Hideout", I'll try to make that one better.**

**PS: If this chapter came up twice on your alert, I'm sorry, I made a change to the authors note when I wrote in the wrong chapter title and re-submitted.**


	20. Hideout

Having my Father's new address came in very handy for keeping people with cameras off my back. I don't know what they were hoping to find at my Mother's house – some kind of sordid betrayal or another, most likely – but they didn't find me. I'd been bumming in his spare room for a month.

There was no Annamarie at the new place. It turned out he couldn't stand much more of her; the grass wasn't greener after all. We had more than one conversation over takeout about his feeling dumb for giving his family up and he started sending funds over to Mother to help take care of his kids again. Anna was the one who had a problem with him helping out, apparently. She wanted him to focus on their 'growing' family. Now that plan of hers was down the toilet.

Izzy and Max came over a lot. Max slept over a couple times but there wasn't a whole lot of room in the apartment. When he'd got the place our Father assumed he only had to cater for himself. It was pretty nice in there all the same and he was happy about being able to funnel more into college funds.

"I don't think I'm going to college." I told him as offhandedly as I could, flicking through the help-wanted ads in the paper. I'd quit my job after my workplace went online. People kept turning up for reasons which varied between on looking, asking personal questions and shouting abuse. Some of them were just hunting for Magnus, but he hadn't returned to JJs. I had a feeling that place I had the meet with Anna was his new go-to shop.

"Oh, me too!" Izzy added from her place laid down on the floor where she'd had an earphone plugged in. She got up on her elbows and waved a hand like she was answering a question in class.

She had quit work too. She said that she hated it there without me and wanted to do serious bodily harm to gossiping newcomers. However, unlike me Izzy wasn't too worried about finding more work. Mother told her she could either up her grade average or get another job. She emailed three different extra-credit projects to her teachers that month.

"You can't just give up on life altogether." Father said, taking the paper from my hands right as I was about to circle an add. "Set an example."

I groaned. It wasn't the first time this conversation had come up either. I held my hand out uselessly for him to give the section back to me. It wasn't happening. "I'm trying to get a job aren't I?"

"Use the computer to look later." Max said, jumping up into the seat next to me with a games console in his hands. It was an old game I completed when I was a kid and he was stuck on a level. I tried to help him out without looking completely immature. I doubted that it was working.

I'd actually been boycotting computers more than I used to. Of course, I wouldn't see anything bad online if I didn't go searching for it, but I didn't trust myself not to search for it just yet.

"There's plenty of time for work when you're done with College." Father insisted. He never let up over it. Guess he wanted me to do _something_ that didn't completely disappoint him.

"I don't want to be dependant for that long." I argued. "I do want to move out you know."

"Wait 'till the hype dies down." Isabelle got up and sat on the table. I think she did it just go get on our Father's nerves. Pushing her luck was her new favourite game; just because we were all getting along better didn't mean that he was forgiven. Isabelle had had a lot less time to get used to the revelation of what he'd done. It was fresh to her. I couldn't very well blame her for her raw reaction. Mine had been pretty unpleasant too.

I was still working hard, internally, to get over the detestable thing he'd done. It helped that we were speaking more, that I was living with him. That he _let me_ hide from the world at his place at all.

He was trying to make things better, so we had a common goal. He'd realised that what he did was wrong and a sorry was always better late than never. In the beginning all I'd wanted was for him to feel bad about what he did. Now he felt awful.

I must sound like a bad person for wishing misery on somebody, but it was just better that way. He was a more decent person when he felt regret for the time he wasted and all the upset he'd caused. He even met up with Mother to talk properly and finally give her the real apology that she deserved. I know because Izzy had listened in through the wall the whole time and relayed the whole thing back to me.

Now she was leaving that headphone in her ear just to be antisocial and get under his skin. She'd forgive him, though. In a way I think she already had. It must have been difficult to be mad at him for not wanting his kids when everything he did lately was to help them.

I reached up and tugged the hairband out of her plait, she swatted my hand away.

"I haven't applied anywhere." I said with a shrug. "I didn't even think about it this year."

I knew what Father would want to say to that. I knew that he wouldn't, though. Wouldn't point out that I had other things on my mind over the year; like older men who liked to wear glitter. It pretty effectively brought the conversation about my future to a halt while I helped Max out some more.

Honestly, I wasn't sure why I was being so stubborn over it. It would probably be a good thing to go away and focus on more studying. Stay in a dorm and meet people who didn't already know me.

But it just wasn't what I wanted to do. Graduating had felt like the last of the kid in me slipping away. The real world isn't like the life of Teachers and cliques and clubs. It's... Bigger. Why would I go back into the system again? What was I _really_ going to learn other than how to sit for long periods of time and zone out on dull-voiced teachers?

There had to be something else out there for me to do with myself. Something that wouldn't ultimately result in people recognising me and saying I slept with a Professor to make the grade.

Maybe, like Izzy said, when the hype died down. I mean, it couldn't last for _that_ long…

My phone started to ring so I excused myself and walked out into the hall between apartments. Even there I wasn't sure I was eavesdrop-safe.

"Hello?" I said cautiously, not recognising the number.

"Don't hang up."

In hindsight, of course it was Magnus. Who else would it be?

* * *

**Sorry if you were expecting "Don't Hang Up", I wrote the wrong title in the description before. That one is coming next. I hope you liked this chapter, anyway, I'm concerned about it being slow. Thank you for reading, as always.**


	21. Don't Hang Up

I'd deleted his number a long time before, though I wasn't really sure why. I mean, he still had mine. I guess there was less temptation to call somebody when you actually couldn't.

"Are you still there, Sweetpea?" Magnus asked. I had to double-take. Really? He called me that? It was like he had trouble understanding that we were on seriously bad terms.

"What?" Was my response. It had more to do with surprise than anything. I sort of wished I'd ignored his request and hung up on him instead of saying anything. Only sort of. I didn't put the phone down.

"Good, you're still there." Magnus breathed. He sounded relived for a moment but was composed by the time he spoke again. "Look, we definitely need to talk."

"No," I said. "No we don't."

We couldn't talk. We couldn't because I wanted to and I knew I shouldn't have wanted to. I wanted to yell and scream and bite his head off for everything in my life that he'd completely messed up; more than that I wanted him to kiss me again and actually say _sorry_.

Apologising was the one thing he'd yet to do. It killed me that he wasn't sorry.

"I'm done with this now, Magnus." I groaned. The whole situation was taking its toll on me more and more. I needed it all to go away. "Do you have any idea what people are saying about me?"

"I know exactly what they're saying, Darling, that's why I called." He explained. I leant against the wall, already feeling exasperated with the conversation.

"Enough with the pet-names." I told him, quite fed up with them by now.

I wasn't Magnus' 'Darling' anymore.

There was a pause while he seemed to consider my statement like it was a request. I resolved that if he called me anything endearing again I _was_ going to hang up. Even if I knew the resolution was as fake as Magnus' single status. I wanted him to keep talking to me until it all started to make sense.

"Alright." Magnus said, with some caution. "Alexander, will you meet me somewhere?"

"No." I replied, without a second thought. "I'm not going anywhere public with you and you're not welcome in my Mother's house."

"There's always my place?" Magnus suggested. Like that was ever going to happen. If he'd been there I would have slapped him. Then again if he'd been there we wouldn't have been having a conversation about where to meet.

"You aren't funny." I snapped.

Why couldn't he say what he wanted to say over the phone? I felt safer over the phone. I was _me_ that way, not whatever version of me I was under the influence of his eyes. When we were together he always got his way.

"I want to help you." Magnus pushed. He wasn't used to me fighting his will.

Neither was I, to be honest.

Sometimes I thought about Magnus when I was alone, without my family reminding me what an ass he'd been. Times like those, I remembered how much I'd loved him. When I was along all I did was miss him. But when I actually spoke to him the anger all came back. My mind was somehow less hazy in reality than it was making up scenarios.

In my head, when I imagined him calling me, everything worked out alright for us.

In reality, I was determined to make him leave me alone.

"You want to help me? Tell that magazine that I'm innocent and you're the horrible cheat." My voice was low and venomous when I spoke to keep my family next door from listening in. If they overheard it would be completely obvious who I was talking to. The last thing I needed was another pity-party when I was trying to move on past all the drama.

If talking to Magnus on the phone instead of ignoring him qualified as moving on.

"I'm not a cheat." He said.

Did he actually believe that? There was no way in hell that he could actually believe that. He was _married_. He was involved with somebody else for _months_. What more did you have to do to qualify as a cheat? Was he waiting for an official letter of recognition or something?

Maybe a magazine spread and a webpage full of fans flaming him for cheating wasn't recognition enough for Magnus Bane. Didn't stand out enough without being rainbow or covered in glitter.

"Cammie has more than her fair share of-"

"I don't care what your wife did to you!" I yelled before he could spew more of his anti-monogamy preaching at me. "If you're not sorry about cheating on her, fine, but you did it to _me_ too!"

There. I said it. The selfish thing I wasn't supposed to say.

I heard a heavy sigh on the other end of the line.

"I'd really rather have this conversation face to face, Alexander." Magnus repeated. "You won't hear me out this way."

There was a very good reason for that. Hearing Magnus out was too hard. Sure, it was immature not to listen to the other side of a story. But I was happy with the version I knew.

Alright, fine. Not _happy_, happy. There were a lot of things I'd change if I controlled the story. But with this version at least I knew how I should feel about it. I was satisfied, more accurately, knowing the small amount I knew and why I couldn't be with Magnus because of it. I didn't need him to complicate things.

Yet there I was, about to cave, before my angry little sister snatched my phone from my hand out of nowhere.

I tried to argue with her but she put a finger on my lips. She used to do that when we were kids and I'd normally bite her. I didn't think that would be very appropriate given the situation. She was really fuming.

"Delete this number." She demanded. "Oh you've _memorised_ it? Then I suggest you forget it."

"_Izzy_..." I hissed. Just because her heart was in the right place didn't mean she had to step in. I had it under control. Ish.

She put her whole hand over my mouth to keep me quiet while she continued to listen to Magnus. I felt weirdly jealous that she had the phone now. I wanted to know what he was saying.

Eventually Izzy hung up with some snappy remark, declaring that she had solved the problem. When she handed me back my phone I stood there in the hall staring at it. She'd hung up.

Why wasn't I happy about it?

* * *

**Sorry the updates are spacing out more, I need to give myself more time to form an ending and I'd rather leave a day or two between the chapters that are ready than make you wait a long time for the newer ones, so that's why they aren't being released daily anymore. Big thanks to readers and reviewers. "Late Night Musings" is coming up next!**


	22. Late Night Musings

While Father slept in the room across the short hall, slept, I couldn't even lie down and relax.

Magnus never did call me back. Over the last week public outrage about me had died down to a mild simmer to make way for the gossip that wasn't passed its sell-by date. I guessed that meant he didn't _need_ to help me like he'd offered to.

Still, I couldn't help wondering what might have been if I'd just stopped being stubborn and met up with him. Maybe he had a perfectly good explanation. Maybe he'd finally say sorry.

Jace would probably hit me for thinking that way. Like he hit Magnus - yup, the bruise had been his fault, he was lucky not to get into trouble. I'd cut that man out of my life for a reason. He was bad news.

But now I was lonely and my first real love was only a button push away. With his number auto-saved to the 'received calls' list on my phone. The logical thing would have been to remove the temptation again. To go outside from the room I'd been shutting myself up in and meet people who were worth the time.

_We do very stupid things for people when they make us think they're worth it._

I crept out of bed as carefully as I could. You never really notice how creaky a place is until you're trying to move quietly. I was sure that I'd be heard on my way to the kitchen. I was planning to make tea in the hopes that the warmth would make me sleepy.

The plan changed when I saw the wine. Father bought the same brand Mother drank when they were together. I considered if he would notice me finishing off a bottle which was already open. Chances were he'd just assume he'd drank it himself.

I was prepared to take that chance and sat down on the floor behind the counter like it would hide me at all if he decided to walk into the kitchen. I had the bottle on one hand and my phone in the other.

It tasted like I remembered it tasting the very first time. I chuckled darkly to myself thinking about it. I couldn't shake the happy memories of Magnus but they never came without the reminder of the bad times too.

"Bastard..." I muttered to myself, smiling at my phone screen even though I didn't know why. Was I losing my mind? Probably.

I took another swig of the liquid which I was rapidly becoming used to. It tasted bad in a weirdly good way and it was already making me feel… buzzy. There was something funny about the situation all of a sudden. I was sat on a kitchen floor wallowing in self-pity and thinking about a guy I'd been trying to forget all about. Magnus, on the other hand, probably never thought of me without outside prompting.

It wasn't as if he was short on ways to fill his time. What with his beautiful, famous wife and the dazzling people he worked with day in and day out. Maybe he already had another affair on the go. Maybe Camille did too. Maybe they were all out having a grand time together painting the town in glitter while I fawned hopelessly over them.

_There's so much more to sexuality than you've ever encountered. It isn't cut-and-dry as 'monogamous or cheating.'_

So what was in between? Consensual affairs? What would Magnus have told me if I'd been willing to listen?

Piecing together all the information I'd gotten as of late theirs wasn't an ordinary marriage.

Camille didn't take Magnus' last name, didn't make it obvious even to her many fans that she had a wedded partner at all, and according to her husband had beyond her 'fair share' of other partners.

Magnus had clearly done it all before, nobody who looked that calm being caught in bed with another person was going though it for the first time. He hadn't seemed all that worried about it and, apparently, his wife had forgiven him.

This was a whole different ballgame to what had happened between my Mother and Father. I didn't know the rules.

The real question was: did I want to know?

My gut was telling me 'no'. Somewhere inside I had a moral compass which was telling me that the monogamy Magnus didn't subscribe to was important. It was _vital_ in a relationship. Lack of it had torn my family apart.

On the other hand _something_ was working for Magnus and Camille and whatever it was… Well it wasn't the traditional family unit.

I wiped the moisture from my lips and put the bottle back where I'd gotten it. My thoughts were taking a serious turn and with Magnus at the push of a button I couldn't afford to have my mind all fuzzy. If I called him then I didn't want my hazed mind seeing sense where there was none just because I missed him.

What I needed was a clear idea of what I even hoped to get out of calling him. The apology I wanted was never coming unless I asked him for one and in that case he wouldn't have meant it. So, what did I want him to say?

Well, there was a part of me much larger than I want to admit that hoped if I listened to Magnus he'd come out with something brilliant. I wanted indisputable evidence that the way of life he had chosen was a perfectly good one. If I could have the same ideology he had… The same assurance that whatever was going on was a good idea and nothing to be ashamed of…

It could change everything. It might have even taken away all the hurt I'd been feeling if I understood the situation better.

There was a nagging thought about Camille and why she would have been so angry if any of that was the case. I didn't know what to think about that. Her being betrayed and her forgiving her husband so quickly just didn't add up for me. I wanted Magnus to explain that too because if she slept around why couldn't he?

Not that what we'd done qualified as 'sleeping around', it was just the one time… And there was no _sleeping_…

Was it because she didn't know me? What if they were supposed to, I don't know… Register that sort of thing? And Magnus didn't… For whatever reason. I was sure he could tell me why when I called him.

When I called him? When did it become 'when'?

I put my phone on the counter and stared at it, terrified about what I was convincing myself to do. It was insane. I actually wanted my dishonest ex to give me a reason to help him cheat on his wife again. The only real reason I wanted to understand it is because of the too-large part of me that wanted to be a part of it.

That scared me.

_They make us think they're worth it._

Was Magnus worth it? I wanted him to be. Everything I thought about him clashed, though.

Magnus loved me but he used me. He listened to me but he'd drop me for a phone call. He cared about me but he wasn't sorry for hurting me. How do you decide if a person is worth your time when you hardly know them at all?

In a sudden moment of clarity I realised that that was my answer: I hardly knew Magnus at all. Whatever I felt for him was based on half a picture. I was curious, sure, more than curious. Who wouldn't be? All the things I didn't know where eating away at me and probably always would.

Pandora didn't exactly find sunshine and rainbows inside her mysterious box, though, did she?

If I delved any further into Magnus' life there would be no turning back. Even if I always wondered about what might have been… That was normal.

More healthy than deliberately going against my own ethics for some guy, anyway.

I didn't want what he wanted. I'd never wanted those things. Wanting _him_ didn't change that and it never would.

With my hands still shaky I picked up my phone again. Then I deleted Magnus' number for the last time.

* * *

**I've been trapped in no-internet land over the weekend, sorry readers, thank you for waiting!**

**Okay, this chapter made me nervous. Alec doesn't intend to go along with it; I tried to make that clear by the end but I'm not sure it worked, hence this note. I just thought there was no way the thought wouldn't even cross his mind and so this chapter was born. **

**"Interview" is coming up next!**


	23. Interview

I tapped my foot impatiently as I watched the wall mounted clock tick away seconds devastatingly slowly. It was an interview.

Scary. It was always scary trying for something you really needed. Like how Jace really cared about winning first place in the races, he got nervous right before the competitions. Lucky for Jace he performed well under pressure. I was more likely to freeze up.

I did _not_ want to freeze up in the middle of an interview.

Both of my parents and I had done a lot more arguing about what I was going to do with myself if I didn't continue on to college. They were determined that I had to further my education, I wasn't quite so convinced. Really, what was the problem with going straight to work? It wasn't like people couldn't survive without degrees.

Work or education, work or education... We landed on both.

It had been a stroke of luck, finding the advertisement in the paper. I was circling want ads in thick marker again while my Mother eyed up the pages from behind my seat. She'd taken to visiting Father's apartment too, recently. I tried to tell her it was probably safe for me to go home now but between you and me, I think she wanted an excuse for the whole family to be together.

Anyway, one of the Museum's 'Resident Historians' was offering an apprenticeship. He was a graduate by name of 'Dr Zachariah'. I wasn't completely sure why this Doctor would need any help – it seemed that studying old artifacts wasn't really a team activity – but I wasn't exactly going to complain. It was a great opportunity.

There was hardly anybody around waiting for their name to be called in to meet with the Doctor. One girl with dark, thickly braided hair was reading a book about ancient weaponry, tapping her manicured nails against the cover. I smiled at her but she just twisted her body away from me.

I was used to the antisocial, bookish ones from all my Library trips. Or maybe I had her all wrong and she was just super competitive. I was used to that too.

I was called before her, the person before me stepped out of the office looking like a weight had been lifted. He must have been nervous too. His walk out was brisk; I slipped into the office as Book Girl watched him go.

The office looked like everything I expected. The walls were practically lined in encyclopedias and the desk was full of paper. Dr Zachariah sat behind it in a leather spinning chair like the one our Headmaster had. He was... Much younger than I expected. Only a small strip of grey in his black hair.

"Mr Lightwood?" He asked with a smile. He had a kind smile; pleasant and genuine looking.

"Alec," I said, extending my hand over the desk a little too quickly, "people call me Alec."

Dr Zachariah's handshake was firm and he seemed happy enough. It wasn't much comfort that he seemed the type to treat everybody nicely. I had no way of gauging how I was doing compared to the other applicants.

"Take a seat Alec." He said. I sat. He told me not to be nervous as if that ever worked on anybody. I was going to be nervous right up until I got a rejection letter or phone call.

Damn. It wasn't the time to think like that. Positivity was key. Just because I'd had bad luck the last few weeks didn't mean it would always be that way. The Doctor hadn't recognised me, that was good, wasn't it?

"Why don't you tell me something about you? What brought you here?"

The add in the paper. But that wasn't the right answer; though that was the start of it. When I first saw the notice I couldn't keep the idea of it out of my head.

"I could already talk about half the exhibits in the museum for hours on end... I'd love to learn about the others." I said honestly. Sometimes it was difficult for my family to shut me up. It was all fascinating to me.

"You have a deep interest, then?" Dr Zachariah asked indulgently.

"I have a passion for History." I blurted. The Doctor stopped twirling his pen around his fingers. He focused his full attention on me.

Why would I say that? The words had just appeared in my mind. _Magnus_ had said it. I'd thought he was being dumb at the time, but the Doctor actually seemed impressed.

"Seeing the new, ancient things here," I continued, hoping I could keep myself from sounding so generic, "I think it's more valuable than anything a lecturer in a classroom would try to teach me."

"My lecturer at University was the _dullest_ man..." Dr Zachariah laughed. "I can't promise not to bore you, though."

He didn't seem like the type to bore anybody. He gave me the feeling that he would always be easy to listen to, and what did it matter if he wasn't? One person who'd never heard of me was better than a room full of kids who could easily have.

"I'm not easily bored." I said. It was _kind of_ true. I got bored by some things, usually pop culture, and stayed alert through other things that put Izzy and Jace to sleep. I didn't see us analysing the latest hits in the chart as part of Dr Zachariah's studies so my downfall wasn't going to be a problem.

I was surprised by the fact he didn't ask me much about the actual subject in the interview. Surprised and a little worried that he'd already written me off and was just killing time asking me about my character. By the end of it he knew that I was the eldest of three siblings, the professions of my divorced parents and everything I'd studied at school.

He still seemed pretty happy with me, but he also seemed glad when he asked me to send in Book Girl. Who was actually named Cleo Maker. She had her nose up in the air when she passed me in the doorway.

Whatever. Only time would tell if either of us got the position.

Until then I had to be patient and find another way of getting income. The apprenticeship pay wasn't advertised as the greatest, so another job would always have to be on the table anyway. I had no problem with that. Maybe if I got work at the Museum I could pick up shifts in the gift shop or something. Or tour guiding. Anything.

I had to get out of my parent's houses. I had to pay them something for letting me stay with them at the very least. I was done being a kid a while ago. It was time to move on to more.

* * *

**Oops; I almost forgot to post this. Funnily enough because I had my own interview today (mine was for college), and right now I'm trying to write up a bunch of application stuff which is time consuming and bleh. I don't want to make excuses but you'll have to forgive me if my chapters are slow.**

**Also, sorry if you were expecting Magnus drama here; I just had to show life going on. I hope you liked it anyway. On that note I haven't named the next chapter yet. We'll see what happens there. Thank you so much for reading and putting up with the schedule being out of whack.**


	24. Throwback

It felt like the floor had dropped out from beneath me. In a good way.

"Really? You're serious? Me?" I spluttered into the receiver. Isabelle's face lit up and she pressed her ear to the other side of the phone. Jace was signing to her – not real signing, mind, but a well-honed, unofficial language they'd mastered over the years – about what she could hear. I grabbed Isabelle's hands to still them.

"You make it sound like you've won the lottery." Dr Zachariah laughed. I could picture him sat behind his desk with that light smile of his. Maybe he thought I was way overenthusiastic.

Maybe I didn't care.

"It really means a lot to me." I told him. Izzy made a squeaking noise and rocked back and forth on her heels.

"I thought it would." The Doctor said. "That's partly why I wanted you. Also that Cleo girl was completely pretentious."

Take that, Book Girl. I might have smirked. Jace and Izzy were exchanging one of those 'Who are we talking about?' looks. Really, Jace was just as bad as she was for gossip sometimes. At least he wasn't already texting about it. I suspected Isabelle had already informed Simon and Clary with the mobile in her hand.

"You won't regret this, Doctor." I said. "Thank you for calling."

"No problem. I didn't want you to have to wait for the postal service." Explained Dr Zachariah. Wow, my luck was turning around. I had a job, now, doing something I loved, with a boss so considerate he wouldn't make me wait a couple days for a letter.

It was definitely cause for the celebration Isabelle insisted we have. I hardly had time to call my parents before she wanted to get going. When I got back from the stairwell of the Mall which was just about quiet enough to talk in, she was chattering away on her own phone and waving her hands in wild gestures.

Jace climbed up to sit on the backrest of the bench - he always fidgeted when he had nothing to do - as I approached.

"She wants to drive out to the woods." He said.

I raised an eyebrow. Not exactly her scene. I was expecting her to try dragging me out to a minors-friendly club or something. "The woods?"

"She wants to light a bonfire and stuff." Jace explained. "I had to talk her out of the beach."

Listening to Isabelle I could hear that she was actually convincing Simon to gut all the instruments from his band's van so we could pile a bunch of people and blankets into the back. It actually sounded like a really good idea. The kind of fun that I could actually get on board with instead of the typical parties she dragged me to with empty promises of a good time.

"She's kind of making a huge deal, isn't she?" I thought out loud. Like Dr Zachariah had said; I hadn't won the lottery. It wasn't like when our cousin Aline got her first-choice University place.

Jace slapped me on the back none-too-lightly. The same way he did when I used to treat silver medals like a loss.

"Why not? It's about time something went right for you." He grinned. I rolled my eyes back.

* * *

We piled into the back of the van laughing like it was the most exciting thing ever. In a matter of hours we'd collected our little group and everything we needed to keep Izzy from turning into the whiniest girl on the planet when we got there. You know: blankets, snacks, extra hoodies because she would inevitably want one by the end of the night even if it didn't match her outfit.

Clary had this retro-looking CD player from when she was a kid. It had a handle and took package batteries instead of charging up. It looked like a pain to lug around but Izzy declared it 'totally cute', with fading stickers all over it, and started pouring through the discs Simon kept in the glove compartment while Jace fiddled around with the buttons.

The sun was setting by the time we arrived; Jace was the only one who knew the way to a good spot. He went camping a lot as a kid. Simon did not. He wasn't even a little athletic and tripped on damn near every tree root along the way. My sister was in fits of giggles.

"Are you sure we should be going so far from the van?" Simon complained after ten minutes of walking a winding forest path.

Our electric torches and camera phone flashlights were starting to come in handy. I could only see the back of Jace's head, but I was sure he threw in an eye-roll as he said "If you want to light up a fire close to a gas tank, be my guest."

Besides, we were practically there anyway. There was a circle of rocks and logs around a makeshift fire pit left behind for anybody who wanted it. More to do with people being too lazy to make the place look natural again than it did with being helpful for other campers or party makers. It didn't matter why it was there, it only mattered that Clary had been a girl scout once and she and Jace got flames blazing in record time.

"We should tell horror stories!" Izzy gasped, gripping hold of Simon's arm excitedly. He was going to have tiny crescent marks from her nails through his hoodie.

He didn't seem to care when he smiled at her. Thus far Simon had yet to do anything to prove he was secretly a jerk, so the two of us got along just fine. I was still happy he and Izzy were a still couple.

"Like what?" He asked, snapping open the top of a fizzy-pop can. The group had been kind of moody I'd vetoed alcohol, but I didn't want to have to be the oldest in a group of tipsy minors I had to get home. Not tonight anyway.

"Like..." Isabelle thought for a few moments, then put on her best 'spooky voice' to announce; "The tale of the evil Historian who leads unsuspecting young men to their doom!"

"I've heard that one already." I cut in, smirking. "Only it was about a Photographer."

The group erupted into a chorus of 'Oooh's. Which was good, because if they didn't take it in good humour that remark was going to throw the night into a pretty awkward mood.

But the mood stayed just as good. Jace, as always, felt the need to one-up me and Izzy. He grabbed his torch to light up the angles in his face from the bottom. Clary found him hilarious. The rest of us thought she was the funny one for thinking that way. Whatever we were laughing at, we were laughing until the early hours of the morning when I couldn't remember why I ever wanted to be separate from this group.

* * *

I drew the short straw, so come morning time I had to do the rounds driving everybody home. I wasn't sure how that made sense, given that Simon would have to come get his van from my Father's building in the morning, but we were dumb kids at heart. We didn't feel like thinking logically.

Even in my easy-going state, I still couldn't help but notice the strange car parked outside my Mother's house. Another photographer? Why? Nobody had any reason to seek me out anymore.

Camille was the one they wanted; they'd started chasing after her instead. I'd faded back into obscurity, just where I wanted to be, with the latest Camille stories focusing on her own affairs. There were a fair few. I couldn't help but notice. Magnus hardly got mentioned anymore. When he did it was more of a 'Doesn't she have a Husband?' situation, as opposed to the 'How could this guy cheat on our Cammie?' mess that I had to deal with. Double standards for celebrities. Always the same.

"Ignore it." Isabelle told me with a roll of her tired dark eyes. "This guy has been showing up every day looking for you. I tell him to buzz off."

"Who is it?" I asked lowly.

In the back of the van, Clary and Simon had both fallen asleep. Jace's house had been the first stop on the list so he'd collapsed into bed by now.

Izzy bit her lip. It didn't take a genius to see the guilt on her face plainly. That was worrying.

"Iz? Who is it?" I prodded.

The man seemed prepared to answer the question himself. When he caught sight of me he opened his car door and began to cut across the lawn towards us.

"Go away!" Izzy yelled. The sleeping passengers stirred, so I shushed her. She would probably wake half the people on the street if we left her to it.

"Alexander Lightwood?" Asked the man. His face was sunken and sallow; like somebody who didn't eat enough. He looked tired as I felt. How long had he been waiting, anyway?

"That's me." I answered. "And you are?"

"Here to arrange a meeting." He said, without giving me his name. Isabelle was pulling on her hair tips and gritting her teeth. "Madame Belcourt would like to speak with you."

"And what if he doesn't want to see her?" Izzy snapped defensively. She looked about ready to hit the guy.

Geez. Not only was my sister planning to shoot the messenger, he was the messenger of somebody innocent. Camille hadn't been the one to hurt me, after all. Not that I really _wanted_ to speak to her, but..

"Madame insists." The man stated frankly.

This couple was going to be the death of me. What could Camille even want?

I was going to find out. Whether I liked it or not, there was something big going on. Maybe I was a horrible person in a past life and now I was getting karmic throwback; but no matter what I thought about it fate wasn't done with me. It felt like my whole universe was shrinking down; collapsing inward towards Magnus like he was the only sun in my galaxy.

It would keep closing in on me until I dealt with the problems instead of ignoring them.

"So much for celebration." I let myself sigh.

"You don't have to go meet her, Alec." Izzy tried to reason.

All I could do was shrug. "When and where?"

* * *

**...And with that I'm officially out of 'reserved' chapters. Writing in real-time, now, so I'll have to thank you all for your patience and ask you to have a little more. The next chapter isn't written yet so it has no title, but thanks for reading everybody. I'll try to get back to posting before ****_too_**** long.**


	25. Single and Single-Minded

There was something about Camille that reminded me of Magnus. No, not the ring on her finger. The way she carried herself. The two of them both had this _attitude_... Like they owned the world and everything in it. Even the people.

"Alexander!" She gasped when I walked in. Her voice was song-like and the strong French lilt made her annunciate each syllable. Magnus did that too, in his own accent which I was convinced belonged uniquely to him. For all his individuality, though, he was certainly unsettlingly similar to his wife.

I managed a smile for her, only just. Thinking about their similarities only ever made me see how obviously perfect for each other the pair of them were. Good for them.

"Mon petit." Camille sighed, looking at me in the half-concerned the way you look at a stranger in pain. Her high heels clacked on the hard floor of the old subway. The place hadn't been frequented by anybody but rats and runaways in years. The dust we were stirring floated in clouds through the pale, limited light. "You don't seem at ease."

Of course I wasn't at ease. Somebody _would_ find us. It didn't matter that the place was abandoned, with my luck tonight would be the night all the homeless realised it was an empty shelter and swarmed in. How had Camille even gotten there without being spotted? Her dark sunglasses wouldn't fool anybody. Given that it was night they probably drew _more_ attention her way.

"I just can't think what you want to talk to me about." I said shakily. I looked around for an old bench to sit on; feeling unsteady. Being around Camille was like seeing rumbling black clouds fill the sky when you thought the storm was over.

She smirked. "I'm sure you have some idea."

I hastened over to the first bench I spotted, scratched and defaced with initials and slang. She followed me and stood with perfect posture. I was pretty sure you could take a picture of her from any angle and she'd still look better than the best picture of me. No contest. It did nothing for me but I could see why girls admired her so much. She must have driven the straight guys wild. And the guys like Magnus with less of a preference.

"You want to talk about your husband?" I snapped. Then I immediately felt bad. No matter how she saw her relationship, by my standards I owed Camille every apology in the world. I was in no position to get short with her.

She didn't seem offended by anything other than the grime as she took a seat next to me. Camille wasn't dressed for the cold. Her usually flawless skin had goose bumps and there was no substance to her scarf because it was only for decoration. I kind of wanted to give her my jacket but I doubted she would take it.

"I'm worried about him." She began to explain. She said, flipping her curled hair over one shoulder. It was arranged perfectly. Was there ever a time when she didn't look her best? It was sort of irritating. "I can tell that Magnus misses you."

I wasn't sure how to react. Or how she expected me to react. I almost wanted to say 'So?' But that wasn't right. That made it sound like I didn't care, and I did care. I was just weary of showing that.

Camille continued in a drawl. "He hasn't taken anybody else home since I found out about the two of you."

"Just because you haven't met his latest affair doesn't mean he doesn't have one." I reminded her. She seemed surprised that I was able to talk about it.

"This is different." She said.

"How?"

As Camille looked to the ceiling as if for divine inspiration, or the internal strength to continue the conversation, I caught the signs of aging on her face. In the selective light, and in person with no airbrushing.

She didn't say anything for a few seconds longer. When she spoke she looked contemplative. "Magnus has been my best friend from childhood. I just _know_."

I stared off into the dark, wishing that there was something interesting to look at so I wouldn't just be gazing into empty space while she spoke to me. So they went pretty far back. She knew him better than I'd ever hope to. Way to rub it in.

"I don't really understand what you want from me." I told her. We could talk about her husband all night but what difference did it make? When all was said and done I was going home and she'd be the one to go back to him.

Her eyes looked tired and less bright than I remembered. She'd really lost sleep over all this. "I want to know that you haven't written him off completely." She explained. "It would be a mistake for me to leave him knowing he can't have the one he loves, either."

I could do nothing but gawk at the woman beside me. She couldn't leave Magnus. I couldn't be responsible for breaking up a happily married couple. Okay so they weren't happy on their _own_ but that wasn't the point. Magnus had never even hinted he wanted to end what was going on between the two of them.

"He loves _you_, Camille." I stressed. I had to make her see that she was only going to hurt him.

"No, we were never in _love_, Alexander." She snapped. She said it like it was an obvious fact. As if she'd said something like 'Daemons aren't _real_, Alexander'.

Out of the blue, I was angry. Furious, even.

Never in love? Was I the only person who thought that love was a pretty vital thing to have in a relationship before you put a ring on somebody's finger? How did that even happen?

My teeth ground together as I willed myself to keep my mouth shut. It was their life, and whatever had compelled them to get married had probably done so before I was even legal. It didn't seem fair that if I was the one who'd loved him, Camille was the one who had him; but it wasn't as if any of us could have known how things would pan out.

"I was never one to settle down." She sighed again, scooting closer to me. I nearly jumped up from the bench feeling her hand against my leg. What the hell was she doing?!

Stunned, I took hold of her wrist about a second after she had her fingers wrapped around my phone. She raised a shaped eyebrow and I released her, relaxing.

Normal people would just _ask_ instead of going for the random molesting route.

"It's nice to have a constant, I suppose, but I'm single at heart." She said as she started typing away. Not long later her phone buzzed and I realised that instead of putting her number in my phonebook she'd called herself so that she had mine.

"Camille. Even if you did leave him, it's not like I can forgive him just like that." I managed to say. The woman was overlooking what I thought completely. Even if she was hoping to help Magnus - and I got the feeling she wouldn't have if it didn't benefit her too - making him single could never change the fact that he _hadn't been_ single.

It wouldn't change his nature, his habits. Magnus was 'single at heart', too.

"You think so lowly of him now." Camille's smile was sly, like she was having her own private joke. Somehow she found it all quite funny. It wasn't serious to her.

Camille was like Magnus. Camille was casual. She didn't understand that I'd been hurt; I could tell that much. I wasn't expecting empathy from her any more than I expected my Mother to pity Annamarie, but surely the woman had to understand why I couldn't just go running to catch Magnus if and when she dropped him.

"Magnus is more loyal than you think he is." She continued, standing up and brushing her clothes down for settling dust. "If you let him, he would give you everything. I just never let him."

I squinted at her slightly, unsure of what she meant. It sounded like a confession more than anything. I knew then that she was the one who brought Magnus to her way of thinking. I wondered what he was like before Camille. Before she got those polyamorous ideas into her head herself. Back when he knew that marrying somebody _is_ giving them everything.

Was he still in there? That's what Camille seemed to think.

"Don't let that sister of yours delete me. Give me a call when you remember you're in love."

* * *

**I got that out there faster than I thought I would. I hope that it was alright, reviewers seemed nervous about what was going to happen; so of course I got nervous about writing what did happen! Next chapter is "Late Nights" (Yup, I even made some progress).**


	26. More Late Nights

"You'll love this." Dr Zachariah grinned as he placed an old book down in front of me. It looked like a diary; leather-bound with discoloured pages.

The museum was celebrating invention next month, carefully packed crates of old inventions, both the innovative and the overly-ambitious had been coming in over the week. A lot to study over, research and learn.

Dr Zachariah had been taken with the odd gizmos created by a Mr Branwell; an English inventor whose many concept drawings were usually singed in places. At first we thought that the man had narrowly escaped setting his workshop alight but the damage didn't look like everything had been scooped out of a large house fire. It was more like he couldn't keep close enough an eye on his candles.

"Branwell's?" I asked, sure to be careful as I opened the book and started to leaf through. The writing was spindly and the pages were cluttered with doodles. No space was left idol.

"He had scores of ideas. I can't tell if he was a genius or a fantasist." The Doctor said. He reached over my shoulder to turn the pages to the centre of the dairy. Sure enough, there were more drawings and scribbles in the centre. Pages and pages. Some of the ideas were good, some were nonsense, and some were just too ahead of their time.

I flipped through a few more pages. There was a lot to transcribe inside; that job would likely fall to me. It wasn't any good to keep all the information in just one, antique place. So few people would learn anything that way while these kinds of books were kept on restricted access. Things needed to be copied to really spread, that's why printing presses were so successful. Still, nothing compared to having the real thing in your grasp.

Now if I could just concentrate on _that_ instead of what Camille had said, that would be good.

It had been three days since I met her in the old subway. Every day, I checked the magazines online and the tabloids. I was waiting for it. Somebody was going to find out I met up with her and there would be uproar again.

Something Camille hadn't seemed to take into account while she was planning her messed-up matchmaking was that even if I _did_ manage to rekindle whatever I'd had with Magnus – and I definitely wasn't convinced that was _ever_ going to happen – I never wanted to go through that again. I counted myself lucky every day I went without being noticed. I wasn't expecting to become a public figure or anything, but I wasn't dumb enough to forget that my picture had been in wide circulation or that large groups of rabid fans had formed an allegiance of hate against me.

And I knew exactly how it would look if I was caught dead around Magnus if the two of them were to break up.

I took a glance over to Dr Zachariah. He was engrossed in his research as always. I couldn't really remember him ever making a reference to pop culture. Not even in passing. So I was completely sure that he hadn't heard about what happened.

How would he react if he did know? Would his opinion of me change? Did it matter that he met me before he found out? Knowing me already hadn't changed the way some of the kids from school reacted. There was a good chance I'd have to give up my job again.

I averted my eyes when the Doctor looked over to me. Way to go, Alec, creep him out by staring. At least if he thinks you're a freak before Camille messes everything up she can't make things worse.

* * *

I stayed late at work that night; I managed to get a pretty good portion of Mr Branwell's journal typed up for easy reference. It was supposed to make Dr Zachariah's life easier, but to tell the truth he'd probably take the extra time to pour over the scrawl of the original for as long as he could. Like me, he knew books were better than screens, and original books were better than reprints.

I was starting to feel ill at ease staying with my Father. I was outgrowing it, and besides that what was I going to do if people we didn't know found their way to his place? I had work, now; between helping the Doctor and doing shifts in any other Museum department that had places going it was about time I stood on my own two feet.

I walked in the door prepared to creep quietly to my- the guest room. Usually Father would be asleep at that time. Instead I could hear him talking. With my Mother.

"Oh, Alexander." She gasped slightly. "We thought maybe you were staying with Jace overnight."

There were booklets about an arts school Izzy had been raving about. Clary had been planning to go there since she was a little girl and when my sister heard they had a drama program she immediately started to pester our parents about being able to apply there. Isabelle would make a good actress, I thought. She was dramatic by nature.

"There's a lot going on at the Museum right now." I told her. Father kept his eyes glued to me cautiously while I picked up that day's paper. It looked like a new copy so it couldn't hurt to check it for rental listings or Camille-centred news. "I'll get out of you way now."

I was used to seeing my parents around each other by now. I didn't think anything of the fact they would meet up to discuss their daughter's future; that kind of thing was normal. What wasn't normal, it dawned on me when I retreated to the guest room, was for them to have one of those meetings when neither of my siblings were home. That late at night.

My eyes widened and I twirled around to face my closed door. I could hear Mother laughing in the giggly tone she used when she'd had a couple glasses of wine.

I called Jace.

"Angels, Alec, did you quit sleeping or something?" My friend hissed. I cringed, remembering that you generally didn't call people up in the middle of the night on a weekday. Oh well, it was too late now. Jace was awake anyway.

"It's an emergency." I whispered and walked to the other side of the room so that the others in the apartment wouldn't hear me. I might have even rustled the paper too if I wasn't straining to hear Jace whisper himself. "I think my parents are on a date."

He groaned. "Isn't that a good thing?"

I blinked, with no idea what he was getting at. A _good_ thing? After all the hurt they'd been through? I was glad that they got along but…

"I thought she was mad at him…" I said lamely. I couldn't find the right words to sum up what had me so worried. The two of them getting closer just seemed too _risky_ after everything that had happened. Mother was smarter than that.

"Maybe they'll patch things up." Jace suggested. As if that was supposed to make me feel better.

I spluttered. "They were already 'patched', this is... It's... This is different."

_Give me a call when you remember you're in love._

Camille's words resounded in my head. Love had nothing to do with being clever. You couldn't protect a heart with tactics. I guessed that even if you knew you were in danger sometimes it got the better of you.

"I just want her to be _careful_." I continued. I think I had every right to worry about my Mother after seeing her shatter. So much had happened over the last few months, but it was still only that: a few months.

"Look, calm down, they weren't doing it on the living room floor." Jace grumbled. I could hear the smirk in his voice. Idiot.

"You're disgusting." I informed him in monotone.

"You're uptight." He responded.

In the other room, my parents seemed to go quieter. Maybe Mother had left when I was talking and I was just imagining things. I strained to hear better, walking back towards the door carefully.

"I'm going to try listening against the wall." I whispered into the phone.

"Izzy?" Jace asked. "I thought I was talking to Alec. You know. The mature sibling."

"Shut up." I told him, clicking off the phone before he could ignore me.

* * *

**I planned to get this out earlier but I ended up being busier today than I thought. Plus I don't think this one is all that great, so I'm super sorry to make you wait (even if it wasn't too long...). Thanks for reading all the same, next chapter should be "Follow-Up".**


	27. Follow-Up

The next day my Father looked like he'd woken up to a giant hangover. For some reason I felt compelled to make as much noise as possible in the kitchenette. I let the dishes clatter against each other while I dried them up and put them away. He brushed past me on the way to make his coffee.

"Could you keep it down?" He grumbled gruffly. So I dropped the cutlery I was holding down into the draw to the tune of metallic crashing.

"What's going on with you and Mother?" I asked tactlessly. No use tiptoeing around it if I really wanted an answer. I was reminded of that day in the car; when I'd made a point of pestering him about his divorce. My anger hadn't resurfaced completely, don't get me wrong, but the concern was there as strong as ever.

He could really hurt her.

"I'm not forgiven, if that's what you mean." My father growled over the sound of boiling water. "Slow progress."

"Progress?" I repeated. "Are you seeing each other?"

He looked like he really had to think about that. That was a plus; it wasn't like they'd rushed headlong into trying again. On the other hand, he was obviously considering the possibility. So something was happening.

"No. Not really. Maryse is too smart for that." He sighed. "But unless you try, you never know."

* * *

That day I was destined to be reminded constantly of the conversation I'd had with my Father that morning. Every inventor Dr Zachariah and I came across or talked about lived lives all about the trial and error. They made amazing things, some that paved the way for today's technology, but they didn't make them overnight.

It was the _effort_ that turned a useless gadget into an innovative machine. Ideas were easy to come by but they needed somebody with the drive to execute them to become solid and real.

I was reading through my transcribed notes while Dr Zachariah studied Mr Branwell's diary. We were probably spending a little longer than we should have on his stuff; he rarely made anything that really worked as intended. There were bigger names who created more useful inventions, but they weren't all quite so fascinating.

Reading this man's notes was like getting to know somebody you'd never met. Whenever he made technical progress it was easy to feel truly happy for him. And it felt like a real shame that his work never really amounted to anything big. Anything noticed.

Dr Zachariah was probably going to get more of Mr Branwell's stuff on display than we really needed amongst the exhibits of things people were expecting to find. That was what made him a good teacher. He didn't have to stick to a syllabus; he taught people new things that they couldn't always find in a textbook.

"It's a shame I don't know a lot about mechanics. I think I'm missing out here." He laughed. I could see what he meant; the technical language could get a person bogged down sometimes. Especially when it came to people who wrote in frantic shorthand like they were scared they'd forget what they were saying before they finished their sentence.

I was about to comment when the quiet of the room was broken by the buzzing of my phone. I'd forgotten to silence it; I didn't get a lot of contact in the middle of the day anyway. This person was persistent though. Dr Zachariah and I were both pretty expectant that it would stop vibrating but it just kept going.

"Sorry…" I excused, embarrassed as I took out the device and went to reject the caller. Right before I noticed the unfamiliar number on the screen and hesitated.

"Do you need to get that?" The Doctor said. For a second there I'd forgotten he was in the room. "Why don't you go to lunch?"

The phone finally stopped its buzzing. I still took Dr Zachariah up on his offer, though. If for no other reason than to tell the person not to call me while I was at work.

Imasu, one of the guys who worked reception, waved at me while I walked outside, redialling. As I was hit with outside air, I was also hit with Camille's voice.

"Mon petit!" She exclaimed. 'Hello' would also have been a perfectly acceptable response, too.

"Not a good time." I told her, seems we skipped the introduction part. My foot tapped against the concrete. Even hearing her voice this close to where I worked set me on edge.

"When is?" She dismissed. "Have you given any thought to our little situation with Magnus?"

Was I ever _not_ giving thought to the Magnus situation anymore? No matter how hard I tired I somehow ended up sucked in to all of this.

_Unless you try-_

I shook my head and squeezed my eyes shut. No.

"It's more than a 'little situation'." I said.

I heard her let out a faintly irritated noise. What did she want me to do? Apologise for the fact my turmoil didn't fit into her busy schedule? Working my life around her wasn't exactly easy for me either.

"Oh I know. It's drastic." Camille said with a hint of sarcasm. "He wears clothes to bed now."

I flinched and decided not to point out that hearing about them in bed wasn't going to help her plans in the slightest. Sharing a bed wasn't the typical behaviour of a woman ready for divorce. My Mother, for instance, wouldn't have her husband sleeping in the same _house_. Even now, when they were apparently trying to smooth things over.

"If I didn't have my own distractions," Camille continued. "I would be beside myself with frustration by now. I was always under the impression Magnus would die if he went chaste for this long."

And now I felt a little ill too. Great. It was like whenever Jace decided to tell me all about what he and his girlfriends got up to. Only worse, because I didn't have feelings for Jace and Clary never sounded like she was somehow gloating about it.

"Lovely..."

"Oh, don't be like that." She was smirking. I could hear it. I think Camille was caught between wanting me on her side and wanting to make me squirm. "The point is he's faithful enough."

"Faithful?" I reiterated.

"To you." She finished as if to confirm what she was trying to say. It wasn't working.

A pretty big lorry passed the street beside me, temporarily blotting out all chance of hearing. I waited for it to drive on before I could talk again.

"I think I need to remind you that we aren't a couple." I told Camille shortly. She'd called me up for the least convincing persuasive talk ever. Like I was meant to feel sympathetic towards Magnus because he was moping. What a shame his misery was self-inflicted.

Deciding I had no interest in listening to Camille anymore – I was quite capable of mulling things over without her help – I made an excuse.

"My break is up, I have to go." I told her.

She giggled. I didn't get the joke until she spoke again. "Your breakup is up?"

"Goodbye Camille." I groaned before stabbing the end-call button and heading back inside.

Still, later I ended up sitting down to notes and inventions. Incomplete works of men who gave up and wonderful things of those who persisted.

_Unless you try, you never know._

* * *

**Thanks for reading everybody! Not much to say. The next chapter is titled 'Crisis', I'm revising over it at the moment because the first draft was an absolute mess.**


	28. Crisis

Camille called me every day for the next five days. Her only aim? To pester. And to fill me in on all Magnus' chosen methods of sulking.

I got one call from a party. A big red-carpet event that Isabelle had been watching on TV. Camille had gone to great lengths to tell me just how 'fabulous' it was, in order to increase the impact when she let me know that Magnus had refused to attend.

Today the topic was fashion. Magnus and his clothing line, to be precise. She'd already had her rant about the blue colour palate he'd fallen in love with. She blamed it on my eyes, which were rolling the whole time she spoke. I tried to tell her blue was a perfectly usual colour which had nothing to do with me and she started talking about how he'd taken up a habit of adding intentional holes.

"I saw what you were wearing when we met." She said. "It wasn't _that_ dark."

I tried to balance the phone between my ear and shoulder as I packed my things into boxes. I was at my Mother's house, that's where most of my things were, and it was about time I cleared my old room out. Leaving it there while I stayed with Father was bad enough, but I was moving into a shared rental now and I couldn't leave it behind.

"I'm sure that there's another explanation." I grumbled, tossing a torn shirt of mine into a bin-bag instead of packing it. "Trends and all that."

"Trends and all that? You're completely cluele-"

Camille's voice cut off. Her foreign lilt halted by the sound of a door closing. There was the muffled sound of her greeting somebody else.

"I'll be right with you, Magnus, I'll just say goodbye to Alexander."

"Magnus?" I said. My heart rate got a little faster. "Magnus is right there?"

But there was nobody listening to me. The two of them had started to bicker between themselves. Not in an angry way; just with a lot of fast chatter. I half-heartedly glanced at the end-call button. I could have just hung up and left them to their spat. But I didn't. It was dumb, but I wanted to hear him again.

Magnus and I hadn't been in touch since Isabelle told him to delete my number. I was always wondering if he really did delete it or if he just didn't care anymore. He might have been – probably was – completely past it. Camille was just calling to be a nuisance.

Maybe her idea to break off the marriage had nothing to do with how Magnus felt at all. I mean, wasn't it possible she was fed up and looking for an excuse? Her usual affairs weren't enough to split them up but maybe she was hoping I would be.

"Give me the phone, Cammie." I heard Magnus say in a slow, warning tone. Then his wife's light laughter echoed through the speaker.

"You want to talk to him?" She asked in a teasing voice. She sounded like Isabelle with the remote when one of her brothers wanted it. I found it hard to picture Camille waving the phone mischievously in front of her but that was what I expected was happening on their end of the line.

I bit my lip like a nervous teenage girl; for some reason I hoped he'd say yes. I hoped that Magnus did want to talk to me even though nothing good ever seemed to come of it. It just would have been nice if he _wanted_ to. A little confirmation that Camille hadn't just been making things up in a failed attempt to guilt trip me.

"I want you to _stop _talking to him." Is what he said instead, his voice getting clearer as he approached Camille. "I've caused him enough trouble."

There was a static thudding sound, like he'd made a grab for the phone. My breath hitched and I waited to find out if he'd managed to take it. His wife laughed again and I assumed it wasn't the case.

So, she was pretty much a pain.

"If you're the one causing trouble why am _I_ the one who can't speak to him?" Camille said slyly. The phone thudded again. For somebody so tiny she was keeping the device away quite well.

I fell back onto the bed and listened to them a little longer. In my position I remembered the first time Magnus had been in my room; the bubbly feeling I had right there next to him. How he answered Camille's call and left.

"Alec?" I jumped in surprise when I heard his voice breath into my ear. I opened my mouth to respond no sound came out. I was frozen there listening to his breathing.

It kind of sucked that he couldn't see me. Would he think I hung up? No, there would have been a dial tone. He must have known that I was there. I wanted him to say something. An apology. A request. Even a goodbye.

"Magnus." I choked out of my dry throat, just so that he knew I was listening.

There was silence for a moment where neither of us said a thing. It felt oddly like meeting somebody for the first time. When you had to awkwardly scramble for an icebreaker to get the conversation rolling.

I never was any good at that but my brain mulled over any ideas to make him speak. Not that I owed him it, or anything at all, really. I guess I kind of wanted to talk to him again, for some reason. I just couldn't think what that reason was. And my internal crisis was that I felt like I really _needed_ a reason.

I didn't know if the part of me that wanted to keep talking to him existed for the right reasons. There was a chance I'd just been worn down to that point by time and the stress that seemed to pile on every time I refused him. My hearts way of telling me 'make this stop' by just giving these people what they wanted.

"I had no idea that she was bothering you." Magnus explained. Of course I already knew that. It was a funny turn of events that now it was him who didn't know about the two of us being in touch. "I won't let it happen again."

"How are you?" I blurted. Just to make him talk about something other than Camille. I'd been dealing with that woman all week while she pestered and span stories. If I was going to talk to Magnus there was a lot more that needed explaining than her chats with me.

"I've been better." He said in a careful tone of voice. Like he was worried about saying the wrong thing.

I'd never known Magnus to be that way. Unsure. He was one of the most confident people I knew. This was a guy who was happy to wear make-up in public. A man who turned up at my house once disguised as a history Tutor with no doubt that he'd get away with it. Somebody who didn't even stutter when his wife and the one he'd been having an affair with met.

"Look... I have to ask while you're there." He began. Careful, careful. "Please, I need you to meet me in person. I have things to say to you I can't say over the phone."

This was it. The moment I knew was coming. The thing I was meant to be thinking about all this time, deciding what I would do if I got the opportunity to see him again. When it finally happened it didn't matter how much or little I'd thought about it. It was the kind of thing where you just… chose. Like when you toss a coin to make a decision and ignore the outcome; because you knew what you really wanted while it was in the air.

"We met in person, before." I reminded him, thoughts drifting to his talk of things I didn't understand and how much effort it took to leave him behind.

"I was an idiot, before. _Please_, Alexander."

* * *

**Thank you all for reading! Hope that it was okay.**

**The next chapter doesn't have a title yet, but half of it is done so that's a plus.**


	29. The Meeting

It was Monday afternoon. 'Celebrating Invention' month began at the Museum that day, bringing in a lot of school trips and general visitors. People tended to flock in when there was an event on. Dr Zachariah decided to take a break from his research to help out and be a part of it. I was using the time off to take tour guiding shifts; but Monday was a half-day.

The perfect time to meet with Magnus.

Isabelle and our friends were stuck at school where they couldn't interfere and stop me. My parents were at work. I had nothing to get back to and Magnus was going to come as soon as he finished what he had to do that day; being lucky with his flexible hours. There were only so many shoots Ebony needed.

The cab driver had taken the address I'd given him and dropped me off in this run down part of Brooklyn. It didn't look like the kind of place anybody got noticed, but to tell the truth I was starting to care less and less about that sort of thing. Maybe it was me maturing or maybe I'd just started to pay more attention to the way my sister's gossip changed every day. Either way it all was beginning to seem very trivial.

People were over Camille and Magnus' obviously open relationship. Sure, there was outrage the _first time_ Magnus was caught with somebody else, but since then Camille's partners were prone to change bi-weekly. Who knew about Magnus? His wife was the famous one. Magnus' job wasn't about being in the spotlight. It was to dress the people who would get noticed and photograph them.

Just because he acted like a big deal didn't make him one, I thought as I approached the building. It was old. Not the good, interesting kind of old, either. It was the kind of dull stone building which was built in a hurry and would probably stand forever.

Magnus was sat on the stoop. He looked strangely comfortable down there on the stone for somebody who lived in such a flashy place. The step didn't look very clean and his beloved clothes were going to get dirty.

He was dressed more maturely, now. Less like he was a student. It suited him to look his age, with his hair less gelled and more natural. I half expected him to put on his fake glasses.

"You came." He said, smiling and standing when I got close.

"Just about." I said.

Isabelle and Jace had both advised me not to go. My parents - who my sister ever-so-helpfully gotten involved - tried to argue about it to. I just raised my eyebrows at the two of them. I wasn't dumb enough to think they were _still_ talking about Izzy's arts school in their little meets. The two of them dropped the topic fast enough.

"Well, I'm glad you did." Magnus grinned when he unlocked the metal grade in front of the entrance and guided me inside.

The hall smelled like alcohol and damp. Something, somewhere was dripping and the staircase Magnus headed up was uneven. The place I was now renting was far from idyllic; but _this_ was a real dump.

I shuddered when my hand brushed a web. Spiders had always freaked me out. Not great when my room was basically attached to Isabelle's back home. Apparently getting rid of eight-legged abominations was a 'guy's job'. Tell that to any guys living in this building.

"Is this a friend's place?" I asked when we reached a door. The number was missing, somebody had carved 1B into the wood.

Magnus gave me a sheepish look and pulled out a key. "It's actually my place."

"Your place?" I repeated, looking around me again. Magnus and this kind of grunge didn't mix in my head.

"I didn't always live with Cammie." He smirked as he twisted the handle and gave the door two hard shoves. Then he laughed. "It always stuck."

* * *

The inside of the loft didn't look as bad as the outside. Everything in it was covered in dust from disuse, but otherwise the hygiene was pretty good. The furniture all looked to be second hand. How long ago was pre-Camile time?

I was lead into the living area and invited to sit on one of the battered couches. A cloud of dust rose into the air and I coughed while Magnus made his way over to open the windows. Like the door, they stuck, one of them wouldn't open at all. When Magnus got back to me he was shaking his wrist like he'd twisted it awkwardly. He took the seat across from me.

"I'm… very aware that I owe you an apology."

I said nothing at all. Anything that sprang to mind sounded sarcastic. Hostile. 'Oh _really_?', 'You _think_?', that sort of thing. That kind of talk wasn't going to get us anywhere good. The best thing to do was to let him carry on. So I waited in silence.

"Duh, right?" He tried to joke. His easy-going front was out of place there. So much so that I don't think he even bought it. He drummed his long fingers on his leg.

I blinked, still waiting. Did he think we were done now? Saying he owed me an apology wasn't _actually_ an apology.

"Duh." I repeated flatly.

Magnus sighed. "I was stupid. Most people aren't _hurt _by my relationship with Cammie. But then again, most people know about her."

I decided to skim over the way he was making it sound like a _lot_ of people. That was a whole different conversation for another time. If there ever was another time. He wasn't being all that convincing, no matter how uncomfortable he seemed. I had to keep a hold of myself; I couldn't give in and just let him get away with what happened.

He had to repent if we were ever going to speak again. More than that; he had to mean it.

"When I realised you were really upset, 'I'm sorry' just didn't seem like enough. And the longer I left it the more pathetic it sounded, you know?" He babbled.

"You clearly don't say it often." I commented, still noting that he was skirting around it.

"I don't, actually." He confirmed, with a look which seemed like he was thinking back. Possibly over situations in his life where he should have. When his attention was back on me his eyes were intense, and he leant forward in his seat. "But I'm saying it to you. I'm sorry. Beyond that. They'd need a whole different word for what I am."

I paused. He'd said it, at long last. I was relived. Of I should have been. Didn't they say better late than never? Wasn't it all supposed to feel okay now? It didn't. It felt the same. The only difference was that now – even though I was still hurt, and by then a little jaded too – now it felt like I could rationalise forgiving him as something other than giving up. It didn't make the forgiveness _happen_.

"Jace has a few for what you are." I said as the corner of my lip quirked up for the first time. I still felt pretty happy; after all, he said the one thing I'd wanted to hear since that day. "They're all curse words."

"I deserve that…" Magnus accepted, looking me over. He was waiting, now. For me to react. To accept or reject or just plain ignore him.

How was I supposed to react? I never thought that far ahead. I didn't even know where to begin. What did he want to hear, and would that correspond with what I wanted to say? What did I want to say?

"I was never good with words." I mumbled. His gaze softened in understanding and he took hold of one of my hands while he searched my face for signs he should let go. I squeezed back, going into autopilot.

Overthinking never did me any good. I tried not to think. I just reacted.

"I don't know what to say…" I told him honestly.

"Say I can see you again." He said with his nerves plain as the daylight through the windows. "Say I can have more chances to make it up to you."

His hand held mine firmly, my throat was dry from more than the floating dust in the air. I looked down at myself; young and clueless and dumb enough to dive back in. Camille was still around, so not completely. Not right that second. Maybe not the next time I saw him, or even the tenth next time I saw him, if we ever got that far. But what I did know is that I wanted for there to _be_ a next time.

So I sucked in a breath, getting that free-fall feeling I got the first time I ever agreed to go spend time with him.

"Sure." I said. Just like the first time. "I'll see you again."

* * *

**Fingers crossed that this one goes down okay with you guys.**

**I'm sitting on the fence about where to tie this off. On the one hand, I kind of like how it is here with the ending semi-open. On the other hand, there is still more I can write about what happens after this. So anybody who feels like responding, go ahead and let me know what you prefer. Because if you want more, I will quite happily write more. **

**Thank you for reading!**


	30. Telling Isabelle

Isabelle was sat on the couch, bouncing up and down like an excited three year old. It was her first time seeing where I lived; a tiny place which I now rented along with some guy named Kyle who was growing something not-so-legal looking in his room. I was a little worried, before I met him, about living with somebody I didn't know. You always here horror stories about that kind of thing in the media. Luckily, I was usually first person to call 'BS' on media. And Kyle turned out to be a pretty nice guy.

"Can I sleep over?" Izzy asked, jumping up so quick I thought she might knock the couch over. "Angels, Alec. You're so _lucky_."

"I wouldn't say lucky." I grimaced, looking into the chaos in the kitchen sink. Messy roommate. I think he must have been one of those guys who grew up thinking magical pixies cleared up after him.

It could have been far worse, though. He may have left a path of mess in his wake wherever he went but he wasn't remotely gross-looking. Just so long as nobody with a police badge broke in to ask me about the mysterious plants, I didn't have a problem.

"Our Parents won't be here to bug you all the time," Izzy ranted. "You're, like, completely free now!"

I stifled a laugh.

While she went on and on about freedom and whatever funny ideas she had about what it was like when you didn't have your parents around to fall back on, I'd been spending my whole Saturday morning trying to figure out how to tell her about the new situation with Magnus. I'd already learned all about keeping secrets from my sister and how upset it made her. I didn't want to do it again.

The problem was, I also didn't want her to go completely off the rails. Because she was going to think I was the biggest idiot. I wasn't even sure I was making the right choices, yet. To an outsider, even an informed outsider like Isabelle, it might seem like complete madness.

Maybe next time I saw Magnus I'd advise him to get himself a warning label: 'May cause insanity'.

"While we're on the topic of... My freedom. I have something to tell you." I ventured carefully. I decided against going to sit within hitting distance. Throwing distance was another story.

"Yeah?" Izzy asked, already sensing she would need to get her attitude on and folding her arms in preparation. "What about it?"

"I'mgoingtoseeMagnustomorrow." I said fast enough that my words would blur together.

Unfortunately for me; my sister spoke fluent girl-talk. This gave her the incredible ability to decipher sentences at 100mph. And deliver them at what seemed to be twice that speed when she wanted to.

"Magnus? Alec, no!" She whined. "You're doing so well!"

"Not that well." I admitted. "I saw him on Monday, too."

I had to duck to dodge a projectile handbag. Yeah. She really wasn't happy.

"Alec, he's the worst!" Izzy yelled as she darted around the couch towards me. I bent to pick up her bag for her. "Don't you remember what he did to you?"

My gaze stayed locked on the floor. I was expecting this kind of reaction. In all honesty, half the anger was probably coming from the fact I'd ignored her advice to cut him out of my life.

But I wanted to put what happened before behind me, and Magnus said that was what he wanted too.

Anyway, we were just spending some time together. It wasn't like we were _dating_ again.

"I'm being careful, Izzy." I assured my sister calmly. "You don't think I'm dumb enough to blindly trust him again, do you?"

"He'll break your heart!" Izzy cried, shoving me on the shoulder. "Again!"

I grabbed her leg to help me keep balance. For a second I thought she might give way and topple onto me. When we both stayed upright I stood up and put her bag back into her hands.

"He doesn't _have_ my heart, Izzy."

"That's a lie, and you know it." She sighed before walking back to slump on the couch. She looked exhausted all of a sudden. Completely fed up with arguing with me. To be honest, it made me feel selfish.

There was my sister, worrying about me, because of the choices I was making.

Seeing Magnus again was like skating on ice when you didn't know how thick it was; it could have been nice and steady and completely safe, or it could have been about to shatter at any given moment. And Izzy didn't want to see me drop into the water.

I went over and tugged lightly on a lock of her hair. One of her lips quirked up the way it always did; she tried uselessly to force it back down. When she failed she shoved me again.

"I wish you'd move on, Alec. Seriously. You almost did." Said Isabelle. She leaned her head against my side as I perched on the arm of her seat.

She was right, of course. But people want who they want. Sometimes that's all there is to it. That's what they say, usually, when you start coming out. The encouraging ones, anyway. Sure, they're talking about a whole gender and not a specific person, but the point is still there. We don't always get to pick and choose who we love. It just kind of happens.

Then, no matter how completely stupid it seems, you want to believe in people like Magnus when they ask for another chance.

"I'm just getting to know him again." I told Izzy as I stroked her hair back. "Nothing has to happen."

Nothing _would_ happen, either, if things weren't different this time around. Magnus and I had to walk before we ran. I was worried, before, that I didn't really know him. It was part of the reason I deleted his number.

So that left a chance that even if it did work out - if he decided that one person was enough and that one person was me - I might not like the person he was without the parts of him I couldn't deal with. After all, who was he, really?

I couldn't afford to _forget_ what had happened between us. The person I met before and the person who Magnus had been in the past. Trust like that was the kind of thing that had to be earned. And I couldn't exactly trust him just yet; I wasn't even certain what he was planning. We already knew his idea of what was acceptable was different to mine. Maybe Izzy had every right to be concerned.

"I'll kill him if he hurts you again." She growled.

"What, you're not going to kill me for ignoring your advice?" I joked in an attempt to jar us out of the serious talk. There was only one real way to know what was going to happen and that was to let things play out.

Mood lightened, Izzy looked up at me through her long lashes and grinned. "Nah, I'll let Jace get you later. Stupid."

* * *

**Thank you for reading, and for all the responses in the last chapter asking me to continue. Sorry for not replying, a lot of you added questions, so I'm trying to make sure they get answered in the story instead of by me blabbering.**

**So, I'm planning what happens next, at the moment. There's likely to be a break while I do that, but I will be back with more.**


	31. The New Apartment

Magnus had done some serious work on his apartment since I'd last been there.

On the way up the staircase I was expecting the same dusty hole from my first visit. The corridor still had that funny smell and was just as filthy as before. I guess nobody who lived in the building wanted to take responsibility for the public sections. Which wasn't very community spirited, but then again, if I lived there I wouldn't want to clean it either.

Magnus had to put in effort to open the door again because it still stuck, though he had replaced covered the numbers scratched into his door with screw-in chrome ones. And that was the least of the improvements he'd made.

Now I was sat in the middle of the living room, on a black leather couch he'd brought in, observing all the changes. The once dingy floors that had been buffed until they shone and there was no more dust. Whereas before the furniture had all looked like it had been dragged out of a pile somebody planned to throw away, now everything which didn't look presentable when it was cleaned off had been replaced. So while there were quirky tables here and there, the questionable looking rugs had turned into plush, comfortable things.

And I finally got to meet Magnus' cat, who sat himself on my lap and fell asleep the second I sat down.

"If you're going to sit in his napping spot, he's going to sit on you." Magnus laughed and pet the little ball of white fur behind the ears.

He was dressed more plainly than I'd ever seen him; barefoot, in plain jeans and a white t-shirt. A look he claimed was both comfortable to lounge in and never went out of style. He wasn't wearing makeup, which I would always maintain was a good thing. The signs of aging he always tried to cover were a part of him, and not a part that needed concealing, either.

I coughed, uncomfortable with my thoughts drifting that way. I had to remind myself that Magnus' physical attractiveness was established. I was there to learn more about what was _under_ that.

"So, when does Camille come home?" I asked while Magnus replaced the bulb in one of his lamps.

They were all second-hand set lights he got when he first started photography. I remembered him telling me that he'd taken his first pictures against the exposed-brick backdrop of these walls. He was using them like normal lamps, now that they didn't measure up to the studio he worked in.

"Cammie?" He asked, clearly confused. "She doesn't live here with me."

I winced, Magnus burned his fingers on the bulb because he'd forgotten to flip the switch off. He cursed and shook his hand out but seemed to get over it soon enough.

"Are you alright?" I heard myself asking.

"All good." He nodded, giving the lamp a distrustful look, as if it might make itself tip over just to burn him. It was kind of funny, and I might have laughed if my mind wasn't somewhere else entirely.

"So… You're living apart?" I questioned. Even with Camille's barrage of complaints about him, I never got the impression she really _wanted_ him gone. Just that she was willing to let him go. And he'd seemed happy enough to live with her before.

"She comes to visit." Magnus admitted. "To watch old movies and flip through my sketchbook. In a friendly way."

Weird. That was my first thought. Then I felt bad.

It wasn't as if I could turn around and demand he stop speaking to Camille. No matter what happened between them, if he ended up staying with her or not, she was more than a ring on his finger to him. She was a childhood friend, I knew that much.

Did he even know she was making plans to divorce him?

Come to think of it, what was happening on that front? I was so used to her telling me every little detail she could manage over the phone, but she hadn't called me since I last spoke to Magnus. Seems as her mission in contacting me had been to make that happen.

"We aren't seeing each other that way anymore." Magnus began to assure me, seeing how I wasn't saying anything. Oops. Way to drift off. "I know how you feel about that."

My speech suddenly came back. "We aren't-"

"I know." He said, before I could remind him that we weren't actually in a relationship. He could see anybody he wanted. It wasn't really up to me.

But he _wasn't_ seeing anybody. That meant something. He was trying.

I stroked the cat and thought while I looked at the foot trails in the rug and the magazines on the table.

Was it really okay to be happy that Magnus wasn't seeing his life partner for my sake? It seemed like a very 'Anna' thing to do. It wasn't like I _wanted_ to be responsible for splitting a couple up. It just happened to bode in my favour if they did decide to end it.

Camille had seemed pretty keen to end it...

"You know, we aren't an item. You can still see whoever you like." I said, quietly, without being interrupted this time.

To tell the truth, I was feeling a little bit guilty. Jace would have told me I was being stupid. It wasn't _me_ who had to feel guilt, here. But the thing was, while I appreciated that Magnus was trying to make amends, it wasn't enough if he was changing for _me_. He had to change for _him_.

When all was said and done we both had to be happy. So how much did being polyamourous _really_ mean to him? How much did his marriage mean to him? Camille didn't seem to value it all that much.

Magnus smiled a little and put a hand through his hair. Unstyled, today. He seemed to do that whenever he was looking for the right words. It was just distracting enough to give him an extra couple of seconds.

"As long as Camille and I are an item, you and I never will be. Correct?"

"Correct." I confirmed. I bit my lip, anticipating his reply.

"Well, then, stop pretending you don't mind." Magnus shook his head and laughed. As if I was completely perplexing. I was just trying not to be pushy. "I want to give you what you want."

"If it was ever going to work again." I said, feeling that stupid guilt bubble up inside me again as I explained my way of thinking. "We'd both have to be happy."

"I will be happy the day you forgive me." Magnus smiled. "Now, let's get me up to date. Has your blonde friend done anything idiotic lately?"

* * *

**We have an update! The next one won't be for a few days yet, I have a friend staying with me this week so I'm not writing. But I hope you liked the chapter. I've been really excited since the story broke 100 followers. Thank you everybody!**


	32. Mid-September

Now that it was mid-September, Isabelle made it a point to remind me that my birthday was approaching. Nineteen. Just a step away from twenty. And a great big leap from thirty. The age gap between Magnus and I was never going to get any smaller, but somehow still being in the teens made it seem huge. Way bigger than it was.

"He's too old for you, anyway", Isabelle would say, when she realised all her other put-downs weren't working. "Remember how our _Mother_ tried to flirt with him?"

I did remember; though Mother herself claimed to have done no such thing. But that had nothing to do with anything. And I was quite convinced - as I had been the first time I was seeing Magnus - that as soon as I passed out of teenage years, it wouldn't matter anymore.

Magnus and I had been talking about it on the phone during my Lunch break. I decided I liked getting calls from him a damn lot more than from his wife. I was beginning to remember how right it had felt to talk to Magnus. How well we fit together despite the fact we probably couldn't be any more different in personality.

"She's throwing this party for me." I ranted while I dwindled in line at the cafe. Usually I didn't like taking on my phone in that kind of situation; it seemed kind of rude. Especially as I neared the cashier. The closer I got, the more I told myself to end the call. It just didn't seem like a good moment to say goodbye yet. "Like nineteen is some kind of big deal? It's not exactly a milestone."

"Celebrating isn't limited to huge events." Magnus replied. He sounded like he was concentrating, I wondered if he was trying to paint his nails or something.

"I guess not..." I said, glancing to the door which lead back into the rest of the Museum, where the 'Celebration of Invention' was in full swing. That event had been pretty fun so far. There was lots to do, different groups and activities being run. It gave me a lot of variety.

Dr Zachariah on the other hand, seemed itching to hit the books again.

Magnus started to tell a story about the party he threw for Chairman Meow's birthday the year before. I gave the cashier a sheepish smile, she rolled her eyes while I dug around for the change I needed. Stupid. If I was going to be antisocial and talk on the phone during the transaction, the least I could have done was avoid holding the line up.

Before I took my food I mouthed 'sorry' to the person who had been waiting behind me. All I got in response was a raised eyebrow, so I was quick to scurry off and find somewhere to sit. By the time I was actually listening to Magnus again, he was almost done talking.

"And even though it was just a party for a cat, it was a huge success, and completely worth it." He said.

"Did you do anything _but_ party before you met me?" I asked with a small smile. It was weird to pull full expressions when the person you were having a conversation with couldn't see you.

"I slept?" Magnus laughed, and I figured at that point I needed to change the subject before I said the dumb thing I was thinking.

_With who?_

I cleared my throat. "Well, Izzy says that under 'absolutely-positively' no circumstances am I to invite you to this one."

"She still hates me, then?" Said Magnus after a moment of silence. He wasn't so much surprised as he was considering the situation. Magnus was perfectly aware that my family weren't keen on the idea of me giving him another chance.

Sometimes I worried that they were making it hard on purpose; knowing that if it came down to them or Magnus, I'd choose them. Thankfully, nobody was asking me to make such a choice. Even if I did sometimes get the impression they wanted to.

"Well." Magnus huffed. It was a playful huff, and when he spoke again he had this persuasive edge to his voice. The kind that always got him what he wanted. "If I can't see you on Friday, how about I take you out on Monday?"

I caught sight of the time on the clock on the wall and realised my break was just about over. I gulped down the food in my mouth in a hurry and tried not to choke. I ended up coughing anyway.

"Sure." I agreed without any consideration whatsoever. "I have to go now, though. Duty calls."

* * *

"Everybody thank Mr Lightwood for showing us the exhibits." Said the kind looking teacher to her class. They were all very young, and called out their thanks in that weird way that school kids do. The same old drill; slightly off-unison, with elongated syllables. _Thank-you-mis-ter-Light-wood. _I didn't think I'd ever be used to the way they made me sound like an adult or something. What was wrong with a given-name-basis, anyway?

Still, I smiled at them in response.

"You're all very welcome." I said before their teacher ushered them all away. She seemed to be struggling now that she had to both lead from the front and round up the stragglers in the back.

_Rather her than me_, I thought. I turned back to the front desk, ready to ask Imasu who the next group were. What I wasn't expecting was to see my sister there, chatting quite animatedly with Dr Zachariah.

"Izzy!" I called, making my way over to the pair of them fairly quickly. I loved my sister dearly but she could not be trusted to talk to my boss. Not appropriately anyway.

It seemed like Imasu was enjoying their little chat too, I noticed when I neared. All three of them looked at me, completely oblivious to the fact that this girl was out to embarrass me in any way she could. What were siblings for?

"Hey Alec!" Isabelle grinned back. "Are you surprised?"

"To see you hear on a school day? Yes. Very." I frowned back. She clicked her tongue and put one hand on her hip. She waved the other towards a gaggle of vaguely-familiar faces. A class from my old school. The group was being led by my old History teacher Mr Starkweather, and I could spot Clary and Simon in the mix too. Clary was fiddling with the straps on her satchel, probably itching to sketch the displays, knowing her.

"Isabelle was just saying she kept the trip a secret, to surprise you." Dr Zachariah informed me. He was giving her this kind of indulgent look; the sort you give to a kid who thinks they snuck up on you even though you heard them coming a mile away. Izzy looked like she was buying it. She was sixteen-going-on-six, after all.

"I was also telling them about the party." Izzy added, pointedly. "I can't _believe_ you didn't invite your work friends!"

I tried not to groan at her. Too predictable; bringing it up when I couldn't very well say anything against it without sounding completely antisocial. Work friends? My employer and the guy who worked the desk. Yeah, we were _so _close.

Okay, that's not exactly fair. I had nothing against Imasu and Dr Zachariah was actually more of a colleague than a boss. A colleague who got to decide if and when I was fired. The last thing I wanted was for my sister to do something completely inappropriate and make work awkward for us both.

That meant their time spent talking had to be minimal. She'd already tried to goad me into way too many conversations about if he was hot or not.

"It's just a little thing at my Mother's place. A bunch of family. Bad music." I stammered, simultaneously trying to put the other guys off and reminding myself how tragic it all sounded.

For a second I thought of the kind of parties Magnus went to. The way he always made everything sound completely magic. And even though his scene was never my kind of thing, I was jealous for that one second. Beyond that, I was all the more relieved that _he_ wouldn't be attending our little family gathering.

"You should so come." Izzy added. And there was nothing I could do to keep them from agreeing.

* * *

**Another chapter for you! Thank you for reading. As has become the norm, the next chapter isn't written yet and has no title. Oopsy. I'm hoping to get back on top of it soon.**


	33. The Night Is Young

I had to remind myself to actually knock on the door to my Mother's house. I didn't live there anymore, which felt kind of weird. I looked awkwardly around the porch for the few seconds I had to wait for an answer. The wood needed painting over; I'd have to remember to come do that for her on a dry day.

"Alexander!" Mother greeted happily when she opened the door. She pulled me over the threshold and into a short hug, which was more of a pat on the back than anything. She had a pair of scissors in her hand, and tape stuck to one of her trouser legs. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you." I smiled. Meanwhile Max was just poking his head out of the living room and darting back in again.

"Hey Alec!" He called back out. "Don't come in yet!"

I hung my coat up on the stand by the door; the inside of the house was nice after the chill air of evening in autumn time. And the hall smelled like polish. It had been recently cleaned.

"We weren't finished wrapping." Mother explained, finally noticing the tape on her leg and picking it off. She looked as unimpressed as somebody can be by an adhesive strip of plastic.

I frowned. Presents always did make me a little uncomfortable. I always felt like I should be giving something back; like at Christmas.

When I told Mother she shouldn't have got me anything, she made a tutting noise and hit me lightly on the arm.

I was just thinking how alike she and Izzy were when my sister headed down the stairs, as if to prove me wrong. She was wearing glitter eye shadow, killer heals and a slip of a black dress which wasn't in any way appropriate for a family party. By my big brother standards, it should have been burned.

"You look like you're heading to Pandemonium." I commented when she did a twirl. Sparkly pins were holding red colour extensions in an among the curly mass on the back of Izzy's head. The short dress laced up at the back.

"I _am_ heading to Pandemonium." She said.

Mother looked like she wanted to say a lot more than: "Don't let your Father see you in that." But she kept quiet.

To be honest, I was kind of surprised that Izzy was skipping out on a family thing. Sure, there were more fun things to do on a Friday night than kick back with the Parents, but wasn't she the one who'd arranged it anyway?

It wasn't until she'd declared I was going with her that I realised she'd been planning something entirely different all along.

* * *

Isabelle had made me change my shirt before we left. The change wasn't too drastic, it just happened that this shirt was V-necked and hadn't faded into an entirely different colour since it was purchased. She also fastened a couple belts I didn't need around my waist and re-did my hair. Because apparently the 'messy-look' only 'works' if it's intentional, and not just me failing to comb properly.

This is where I'd usually make a comment about the crazy things girls do, but I got the feeling Magnus would have said something similar. And he definitely wasn't female.

"You could have given me some warning." I chided Izzy for what felt like the millionth time. I could tell that she was tuning me out. Her mind was already being sucked towards the flashing lights and pounding beat.

I made my way over to the long line which always formed outside of the place. Pandemonium didn't so much restrict you based on ID as they did check for weapons and awkward-looking people who didn't really belong in there. People like me, usually.

But Isabelle steered me away from the line and right up to the door, flashed some kind of card and we strode right in. I was about to ask what that was all about before I was hit by the heat of the place and the sight of the dancing - if you can call it that - teens.

Seriously. Sometimes I felt like I was walking a tightrope between adult and kid life. And the people I knew were throwing things my way hoping I'd fall down on either side. Izzy, for example, wasn't done dragging me on her wild excursions just yet. And honestly? I kind of liked that.

On the other hand, I could think of a certain somebody who might be less than impressed.

"Wait, didn't you tell my boss to go to Mother's house?" I found myself calling over the music, even with my sister stood right next to me. It wasn't deafening noise; loud enough that you couldn't really overhear much from other people, soft enough that you could have a conversation without screaming bloody murder.

"Yeah." Izzy replied as she dragged me over to the stairwell. The tables here were on a raised platform on one side of the room. "But I when you two left told Cute-Desk-Guy-"

"Imasu." I interjected.

Isabelle rolled her kohl-rimmed eyes. "I told _him_ the real plan. He's bringing Dr-Hottie-"

"Dr Za-"

"Shut _up_!" Izzy snapped with a laugh. I don't know what the girl had against names all of a sudden. And if I couldn't correct people on my birthday I wasn't quite sure when I could.

Though that wasn't really a priority knowing the Doctor was probably about to get a pretty misleading idea about the kind of thing I did in my free time. It was going to be hard to explain this wasn't my usual scene when so many of my friends fit in seamlessly.

Jace was heading over to the table with a round of drinks on a dented metal tray. Clary giggled while she picked up something bubbly, her freckled cheeks already turning a brighter shade of pink. Yup. The ID checks here were lax as ever.

It was Kyle who noticed me first. Yeah, Izzy had invited my roommate, too. He raised a glass in my direction, and Maia followed the movement to spot me second. That's Maia Roberts - the girl from Lit class. Were they dating now? Small world. I wondered what happened to the other guy she always went to JJ's with.

Next I looked; Izzy was sauntering over to sit with Simon. He was wearing contacts that night - something Max would have looked at with jealousy - and was looking pretty good, actually. I figured the surge of style had come from letting his girlfriend pick his outfit.

At least said girlfriend was sticking by him and not going off to flirt with some weird goth-guy in the corner, or gyrate against some player in the middle of the dance floor. The night may have been young, but I had a good feeling about the two of them staying together.

Izzy had taken some kind of ultra-faithfulness vow to herself, it seemed, rather than getting sucked into the kind of messes her family were always stumbling into. I smiled, even taking one of Jace's ill-gotten beverages. Something brown which didn't taste all that great for all that teens obsessed over it.

"Be honest, how mad are you at Izzy right now?" Jace smirked at me.

"I'm okay, actually." I considered. "But she's still got the whole night to wind me up."

* * *

**Chapter up! A bit of friends/family. I hope it doesn't seem too filler-y. It was getting long quite long so I split it into two. So, on the plus side, another chapter is coming soon, it even has a title: "Oblivious". **

**Anyway, a big thank you to everybody still reading and following!**


	34. Oblivious

Dancing was never really my strong suit. I mean, really, these days it's just moving up against people. And who was I going to do that to? Nobody in my group, that was for sure.

Jace thought it would be particularly hilarious to press up behind me, though. I think I jumped a mile high when our hips touched. When I span around, what felt like faster than I've ever moved, he was practically doubled over laughing. So, smirking, and fuelled by the drinks I'd already had, I took a step closer and draped an arm over his neck. From the corner of my eye, I saw Izzy slow her dance with Simon down a touch so she could gawk.

For a second, Jace raised an eyebrow at me. Then his own signature smirk crept onto his face. Crooked, but in a sort-of-cute way I used to obsess over back when I had a crush on him. Way back when.

"Oh?" He said, closing most of the gap between us. "We're playing this game?"

He was confident that nothing was going to happen, so I put on a look of mock-determination, leaning my forehead against his. He was smaller than me, which felt kind of odd. And I could smell alcohol in the space where our breath mixed together.

Clary made a squeaking sound. Jace rocked onto his toes, closer. Dr Zacheriah cleared his throat.

Crap.

I jumped a mile _again_ and Jace got this completely smug look on his face. I wanted to make some kind of bruising remark, just to knock his ego down a little. But saying something like 'I wasn't into it anyway' didn't seem like a great idea in front of the Doctor, or Imasu for that matter.

"Happy Birthday, Alec." The older of the newcomers greeted. Dr Zacheriah was only in his twenties, but he could well have been the oldest guy in Pandemonium. While he looked sort of uncomfortable, I glimpsed one or two girls looking away with evident disappointment.

Great. Now I had to get conscious about being somebody else's entertainment. Somewhere in my memory drifted something Simon once said about girls going nuts for guys who kiss guys. Apparently Clary was reading this Asian comic full of it at the time. I wasn't completely sure how to react at the time.

The little redhead was stealing a kiss of her own from Jace as I slipped away from the dance floor.

"Thank you, Doctor." I said, ducking my head and hoping I wasn't turning red. Or that if I was it wouldn't be noticeable with all the lights flashing in different colours around us. "Our table is just this way."

Nice one, Alec. It was the first time these guys saw me outside of work and I was all over some guy. Never mind that he was my best friend, or that nothing like that had ever happened before, they didn't know that. I tried not to groan outwardly.

"Zach." The Doctor said. I almost didn't hear it over the sound of the pounding music.

I blinked, regretting drifting off in my own thoughts. I looked down at him because I was higher up the staircase. Usually we were around equal height.

"Pardon?" I asked.

"You don't have to call me 'Doctor' all the time." The Doctor said. "Zach is fine."

I thought about it. For one brain-dead moment I questioned what parent would name their child 'Zach Zachariah', before I realised that was dumb and he was obviously withholding one of his names.

For some reason, I glanced at Imasu. He seemed to be taking stock of the other people around us. I guess I wondered what he called the- Zach. They'd come here together. How close were they?

If nothing else, I'd learned that I should really get to know the people I worked with a little better.

"Well, drinks anybody?" Imasu finally said. I saw him throw another lingering stare towards the dancers in the middle of the room, but I had no idea who he was looking at.

"Sounds good to me." Izzy chimed in out of nowhere. Like she'd been lying in wait for somebody to offer another round. When she asked for something alcoholic Zach laughed, and we went through an awkward moment where he realised my sister wasn't actually joking.

Then he looked uncomfortable again. Not that_ I_ was all that thrilled with the idea of her drinking, but I couldn't help but feel the guy needed to loosen up. Watching him felt unsettlingly like watching myself. Hopelessly out of place. And I liked to think I was a little more socially capable than that.

Then, before I knew it, Izzy and Imasu were gone for the bar, and we were left stood alone.

"You know, in Europe the drinking age is lower." I pointed out, hoping to make the situation seem lighter. Even I wasn't twenty-one yet.

Zach – that would never stop feeling weird to say - just laughed.

"I'm not going to get on your case about it." He said. "I was a teenager once."

I scoffed. I couldn't help it. Did he think I saw him as ancient? That was hilarious. Not that he'd get what was so funny, having not met the thirty year old married man I was in love with.

"Not _that_ long ago, either." I said to give him some peace of mind. He smiled and stepped closer, maybe having trouble hearing me over the music. It seemed to be getting louder as the night went on.

"So," he said. Well, called. "Do you need to get back to your boyfriend?"

I flinched, stunned for a second. Did I say something about Magnus out loud? Was he some kind of mind reader?

"I don't have a boyfriend." My voice was a little too quick and a little too high in pitch to make me sound anything but guilty. Even though it was a technically true statement.

"So the blonde guy...?" Zach asked, glancing over to the dance floor for a second.

Then my brain kicked into gear. I was so stupid sometimes.

"No! That's Jace!" I laughed. Panic over. My boss wasn't telepathic. Duh. "We were just goofing around."

Goofing? Who _said_ that anymore?

When Zach didn't look convinced I took his wrist and guided him over to the railing, where looking down we could see Jace. His arms, as I suspected they would be, were locked around Clary. And they moved with each other in such a way that probably would never be deemed appropriate if his girlfriend was a better dancer. Instead, she just looked kind of adorable.

"Jace is _very_ straight." I explained. I realised with a start that I was closer than I thought to Zach's ear. He winced, but didn't shift away, so I lowered my voice a little. "Straightest guy I know."

"And you?" He questioned, turning to face me. His shoulder brushed mine.

I looked quizzical. "What about me?"

"Straight?" He asked, simply, like it was the most obvious question he could ask. I didn't know how to react. I mean, I'd been out for a long time, but out of nowhere my internal alarm was flashing.

Why would he be asking? Wasn't there that whole... Don't-ask-don't-tell thing? Or was that just the army? Did it matter? Did he care?

"No." I blurted. I'd gone too long without saying anything.

Zach didn't react at all; I kind of wanted him to; just so I could know what his stance was. I'd never really encountered homophobia, not offline anyway, but it would be just my luck if my boss was one of them. Finding out and then waiting for me to slip up so he could get rid of me.

Yeah. I really need to work on this pessimistic thing I've got going on. I felt my face drop as I convinced myself of the worst.

Then he moved closer, only inches from my face. Lips parted, and I waited for him to say something. That was when Izzy and Imasu reappeared with the drinks. What seemed like moments later, a signal was given to the guys on the dance floor and we were surrounded by the group again.

The rest of the night was fun. But I never did find out what he wanted to say.

* * *

**I hope this read well enough; thanks for reading everybody. I know, I know, Magnus was absent. But he's back in the upcoming chapter; "Traditionalist".**


	35. Traditionalist

On Monday morning, Dr Zachariah was avoiding me. When I greeted him as 'Doctor', he reminded me to shorten his name, but I was a little reluctant to do that at work. After that, we very rarely bumped into one another. And we didn't speak.

I wasn't sure what that meant.

The more I thought about it, the more reasons for the odd behaviour sprang to mind. It could have been anything. Meeting my friends, finding out I liked guys, the drinking, Pandemonium itself.

When Lunch came around, I was going to ask him about it. I thought that maybe, if I started a conversation, he might tell me whatever he had been about to say at the club. But when I went to talk to him, he was with Imasu, and I lost my nerve.

During my shift after Lunch, the desk clerk kept glancing over at me studiously. I tried to ignore him and get on with my job, but I couldn't help wondering what the Doctor had said to him to cause the newfound interest. I had nothing against being sociable, but Imasu wasn't _saying _anything.

When the end of the day rolled around, I couldn't wait to get out of there and go see Magnus.

When I arrived at the cinema, I'll admit I wasn't in the best of moods. When Magnus wouldn't let me pay for my own ticket, I practically growled at him. The cashier had read out the price, and when I tried to hand him the money Magnus outright refused to take it.

"I'm not a girl. This is not a date. I can pay for myself." I snapped at him. I held the money towards the woman working the till and chilled my tone when I spoke to her. "Take this and give him his change, please?"

Magnus made no physical move to stop me, instead he folded his arms and shifted his weight onto one foot. With his head tilted, it looked like he was examining the situation. Like an artist taking a step back from his canvas.

The cashier looked at Magnus, probably seeking the final word from the 'adult' in the situation. A sly grin spread across his face, he knew that he'd won this one.

"Fine." I said, giving up when the girl across the counter ignored my outstretched hand. "I'll get the popcorn, then."

"We're celebrating his birthday." Magnus dropped into the conversation, still grinning. He started re-arranging the collar of my shirt, and probably thought I wouldn't notice him sending the girl a wink.

"Happy birthday!" She smiled, and I got the impression Magnus was signalling a bribe of some sort. "How about you take that on the house?"

That is how we came to get 'free' food - I didn't know how much Magnus had slipped to the girl to keep her from serving me - before we headed into the theatre. It was some book-to-screen film about teenagers who went around fighting daemons. I'd never heard of it, but the options had been between that and a mushy romantic comedy.

Magnus had pretended to be thrilled that I refused the romcom, saying they were all Camille would ever go to see, but I think he was secretly a tad disappointed. To be fair, I'd seen the DVD collection at his place; he couldn't blame _those_ on his wife.

"It isn't even my birthday." I grumbled as I took my seat. Really, I was just looking for an excuse to complain.

The place was packed with people chattering; the lights were still up and the only thing on screen were those notices reminding you to sit in your allocated seat, turn your phone off and spend all your money on snacks.

"It's a shame this _isn't_ a date." Said Magnus. He'd taken to ignoring my complaints since we entered the room. "It would be _perfect_ for you."

I looked at him with faux-scepticism, waiting for him to elaborate. If I were more like my sister, this would be one of those hands-on-hips moments. "And why is that?"

"Think about it." He said. "Dark room, nobody has a _camera_…"

I laughed and gestured to the people around us. Everybody was going about their own business, not even batting an eyelid towards the two of us. It was nice not to feel like such a paranoid mess every time we stepped out of his apartment.

"Get over yourself. Nobody is taking pictures of the 'old news' anyway." I told him with a smile. His eyes gave me this soft look, and I was almost tempted to take his hand.

I reached out slightly, but then Camille popped into my mind. I put my hand up to my mouth and coughed, instead.

We changed the topic at that point. Magnus asked how Friday went and I told him the whole story. I told Magnus of Isabelle's little scheme, and what had happened with Dr Zacharah. Who I wasn't going to call by a familiar name while he was acting so… unfriendly.

"So, what, you think this Zach guy is homophobic?" Said Magnus. Clearly he had no problem with the name even without meeting the man himself. Hey, he didn't have to work with him.

"And Imasu, too. I can't think what else would make him stare at me like that." I thought out loud.

Magnus gave me a smirk. "I don't know, Darling, I can think of a few reasons to stare at you."

I threw a piece of popcorn at his face, which he actually caught in his mouth fairly gracefully.

Damn him.

The lights went down, signalling quiet, before we could resume our conversation.

* * *

"So, what have you been up to?" I asked Magnus as we headed to the car park. I'd yet to ask him about his weekend.

"Not a lot." Magnus shrugged. I waited. Without a doubt, he'd have more to say. Our definitions of 'not a lot' were pretty different. "Woolsey came by to check out the apartment."

That name rang a bell. I couldn't, for the life of me, remember a time when Magnus had told me about his friends. Much less this specific person. Then I paused mid-stride.

"As in Woolsey _Scott_?"

"That's him." Was the reply. Magnus seemed kind of proud of his ability to name-drop actors like that.

Majorly attractive actors. Outwardly gay actors. Who had been alone with him in his apartment.

Magnus seemed to sense my discomfort like it was a bucket of cold water thrown over him. His expression looked just as horrified. His face made me feel a little guilty about thinking something could have happened between the two of them.

"Sweetpea, don't worry," Magnus soothed. "We haven't slept together in at least two years."

I _did_ feel guilty before he said _that_.

"You slept together?!" I exclaimed before I even thought about it.

I think we both knew the conversation was a no-go already. Me knowing that I was being irrational, Magnus knowing that he was saying all the wrong things. Even as he spoke again.

"At the risk of saying something _incredibly_ stupid..." He ventured, like stepping onto thin ice. "Did we not already establish that I've... You know... Gotten around?"

"Not with your current _friends_." I quipped. We were at the car now but I wasn't getting in. I wasn't going to leave with the conversation in this state. Magnus looked glad that I hadn't taken out my keys.

"Cammie is my friend." He noted.

I groaned out loud. He knew what I meant. Camille was pretty much exempt in these cases.

"What can I say?" Magnus sighed. "I like to get to know somebody first. I'm a traditionalist like that."

That was rich. I actually scoffed. But then I started to laugh, and he broke into a grin too.

"I _wish_." I said. How much simpler would life be that way?

The sun was going down and Magnus was looking at me like there was nothing else to see. My eyes were locked onto his, too. I was only semi-aware of the pinkish hues in the sky. My face probably turned a similar colour when his hand caressed against it.

"I'll get there." He said softly. I guess I felt a surge of something-like-pride. That was a change he was making for me, after all.

"Night, Magnus." I said, opening the car door before he got any ideas about goodbye kissing or anything like that.

I had to draw a line somewhere, what counted as him cheating on Camille, and what didn't. A line in a very different place to where he drew it.

"Drive safe." Magnus said. When I took a last look at him I was happy to see he didn't look too dejected; he must have known it was a long shot.

He waved to me as I drove away. I only realised then how much the anticipation of kissing him again was getting to me. Because my heart was pounding a mile a minute.

* * *

**Thanks everybody! I hope you enjoyed reading, the next chapter is coming soon. At the risk of jinxing myself, I think I'm getting back into the swing of it. Next is "Check-Up".**


	36. Check Up

"Is your kitchen always this empty or did you do this because Izzy was coming over?" Jace asked, throwing a cupboard door shut. My sister looked at him venomously, then to me like she expected a genuine answer. I was not going there under any circumstances.

It was nice to be hanging out as a trio again. Isabelle was telling us all about the latest venture of the school's drama club, which is more fun for all of us to hear about because me and Jace knew the setting. When I talked about my life or Jace talked about his time at the college, there were a whole bunch of unknown factors involved.

Izzy was just getting onto the terrible passage of poetry Simon's band mate Eric recited so a girl on stage - balcony-scene style - when my phone started to ring. I was going to silence it, and then I saw it was Camille calling.

"Hold on." I said. I raised a finger in a pause signal and showed the two of them the screen. "I think I need to take this."

I don't know what was making Isabelle more annoyed; being interrupted or the fact Camille was still calling me at all.

"Mon petit!" The woman gasped, before I even said 'hello'.

"Hey, Camille." I said a little sheepishly. Obviously, it was not a good time. "What's up?"

I put her on speaker phone, just to show my sister that there was nothing to hide. Wow, was that a bad idea.

"I want to hear all about your date, that's what!" Camille exclaimed in her usual, dramatic voice. I got the impression that she was always 'on', when it came to theatrics. Honestly, I didn't know how Magnus could put up with it all the time.

Then again, he could be pretty outlandish himself.

"You said it wasn't a date." Said Isabelle in an accusatory way. Her arms had folded and her dark eyes had narrowed.

"It wasn't." I told her.

It was Camille who spoke next. You could just about picture her rolling those bright green eyes of hers. "Whatever you want to call it. All I know is that he blew me off."

"Hold up. You actually went somewhere with him?" Jace asked in complete disbelief.

Our priorities were pretty different. I had to keep in mind that while Magnus and I were in a pretty comfortable place as far as seeing each other went, my friends and family weren't half as prepared to accept what was going on.

The situation called for a lot more delicacy than Camille Belcourt was capable of providing.

"It was just a movie." I explained, wondering how much the woman on the phone had been told. Or would re-tell.

"And yet, he wouldn't tell me a thing." She sighed, co-incidentally answering my question. Nice how things panned out. Or not. The whole conversation was actually a bit of a nightmare. "But I thought, 'Not to worry, dear Alexander will surely tell me _everything_.'"

Isabelle made an unpleasant noise, somewhere between a snort and a huff, while I tried to figure out when exactly I'd become 'dear' to Camille. Sometime during all her phone calls? More likely after she got her way and I started talking to Magnus again.

In any case, it was pretty weird. But I was way past expecting normality when it came to this couple.

"There's not a lot to say." I began. "We went there, he refused to let me pay, we watched the movie and he walked me back to my car."

"Sounds like a date to me..." Izzy muttered. She and Jace exchanged glances. I threw a tea towel at them.

"Shut up." I said, not realising that Camille had been talking at the time.

"Rude!" She snapped. The other two started to snigger.

Talking to the three of them was making my energy levels were decrease incredibly quickly. I took a seat on one of the bar stools beside the counter top to take the weight off my feet.

I never asked Kyle where the stools came from, and convinced myself they were purchased second-hand, not somehow stolen from actual bars. Although with that guy you never really knew.

"Not you, Cam, I'm sorry." I sighed. I hardly even noticed that I didn't say her name properly, but Isabelle certainly did.

"Ca m'est egal." The woman on the line dismissed lightly. Last time she'd said those words to me, the situation had been very different. I shuddered.

It was crazy what had happened since that day. The last thing I would have expected was to wind up here. Which is why Izzy and Jace were having such a hard time with it. I sent the two of them apologetic glances. The looks I got back said exactly the same thing.

_What the hell are you __**doing**__?_

I looked away, sharpish.

"So, tell me." Camille went on. I willed her to stop talking. Maybe she had filming to go do? "Have you forgiven him yet?"

I'm sure I've said it before, and I will definitely say it again. This woman would be the death of me.

In one breath, Camille turned the atmosphere in the room from pretty-damn-awkward to suffocating tension. I knew there was no answer in the world I could give which would please everybody.

All I managed to say, turning away from the concentrated judgement rolling off Jace and Izzy in waves, was: "I don't know."

And everybody else heard what they wanted to hear.

"I knew it!" Isabelle and Camille gasped in unison, though one of them was a lot less happy about it than the other. Take a wild guess which. Jace just looked like his eyeballs might just pop out of his head.

I closed my eyes, and Camille said goodbye and hung up, leaving me to deal with the mess she'd created.

I spent a little time just staring at the phone.

"That woman..." Izzy muttered. Apparently my sister was pretending she hadn't once wholeheartedly idolised Camille Belcourt. Selective memory loss, perhaps? I kept that comment to myself. "Is she pressuring you into this? Is that what this is about?"

"No." I said firmly. "This is about Magnus making me happy."

"Last I checked, he made you anything _but _happy." Jace commented and hopped up to sit on the counted. I would have told him to get up. Under these circumstances, though, chances were that surface had been home to things far less sanitary than Jace's rear end.

"He's _changing_." I said, in a voice that sounded a touch too petulant. "He lives away from Camille, now. He doesn't sleep with anybody."

"How do you know?" Izzy interrupted.

"Because he says so." I said. She didn't consider that good enough evidence. Jace was holding his tongue.

They didn't trust his word, of course. What else was I supposed to do? Inspect his place with an ultraviolet light? Install a camera? Geez.

"Innocent until proven guilty." I added as an afterthought.

Jace leant back and put his weight on his hands. He seemed to be musing. "Okay. But, even if you don't call it dating-"

"Because it's not." I interjected.

"_Okay_." Jace replied, unconvinced. "You're still _seeing_ a married guy. Doesn't he have exactly what he wanted now?"

In truth, I never really thought about it that way. The way I'd been looking at it, I couldn't very well ask Magnus to officially divorce Camille without knowing if we'd even get along. It was something I just had to move past for the time being.

We knew we got along now and he was still with her. I could see how from the outside that looked bad.

On the other hand, I knew better than that. Magnus _didn't_ have what he wanted. Effectually, while he was speaking to Camille regularly and getting frequent visits from me, he didn't have a romantic relationship with anybody. Much less a sexual one.

And let's face it; Magnus wanted those things like he'd want another cigarette if he gave those up.

I shook my head. "Trust me. This is far from ideal for him."

And on it went. The story. Last time I'd recounted anything so fully it was that day in the cafe with Annamarie. She'd listened quietly, but this time there were comments, questions. Izzy and Jace both had a whole lot to say.

At heart, my sister is as much of a hopeless romantic as she is protective. She'd never admit that seeing Magnus was a good idea. I was resigned to that. But by the time it got dark outside and I had to drop her home - it was a school night - after talks and tangents and take out food, she at least seemed like she could deal with it.

Hey, that was progress.

* * *

**T****hanks for reading! Please excuse any mistakes for now because I uploaded via my phone. It will get checked when I have a computer again but I didn't want to wait all weekend to upload another chapter... Even so, I hope you enjoyed it.**


	37. Getting Involved

At first the Friday morning seemed normal. It was the same as it had been all through September - angels, was I looking forward to the end of all this in October - I walked in and headed right to the front desk where Imasu would usually say good morning and direct me towards whoever needed guiding.

Except, today he looked at me like I'd crashed in through the ceiling in a UFO. An odd mixture of utter shock and just a little awe. Unsettling.

His gaze went from me to his computer, then back to me. His face was all scrutiny. I shifted on the spot.

"What is it?" I asked him and looked down at myself. Just in case I was wearing my sweater inside out or something. I wish I could say that hadn't happened before.

"I found something..." Said Imasu. His voice was only half there while he was lost in his own thoughts.

I leant my arms on the desk. If he hadn't sent me to a group right away then there was no rush. It would be one of those days where I'd end up hovering around waiting for questions from the visitors.

"What's that, then?" I kept my tone casual. Doing that made his weirdness seem less off.

Instead of saying anything, Imasu swivelled the computer screen so that I could see it.

I felt my stomach drop.

I hadn't seen the photo in a very long time. Now it was just about every-other picture in a Google search of my name. Of course; there weren't a whole lot of other pictures of me online so it was bound to come up. Me on prom night with a glass to my lips, Magnus holding it there with mischief in the curve of his mouth. Our fingers entwined in the centre of the table.

I lurched forward to turn the screen off but Imasu just turned it back towards him. I had to go around the desk.

Imasu was grinning and didn't seem to grasp that to me, the situation felt dire. He let out a long whistle.

"Magnus Bane, huh?" He smirked. I grabbed for the mouse but he kept it in hand.

"Why would you be looking me up?" It probably would have come out as a pretty un-masculine screech if I wasn't so worried about being overheard. Imasu had no such concern.

"Because of this." He said, and clicked onto a different tab. I knew this website. I spent most of a day scrolling through it once.

This wasn't the article from before, though. This one was new.

There was a picture of Camille and Magnus, separated by a crude, jagged black line which was maybe supposed to look like a rip. I knew what I was looking at before I read the title.

**Cammie Breaks It Off**

I tried to skim the article but only got as far as '**Made an official announcement via Twitter**' before Imasu was scrolling down. There weren't a lot of words; most of it was pictures and screen caps from the social network. Imasu stopped towards the bottom, and read aloud.

"We're expecting to see Cammie slip right back onto the dating scene - was she ever gone? -" I kept my comment about how that was kind of uncalled for to myself. Imasu was too caught up in reading to have noticed if I did say something, anyway. "But can the same be said for her soon-to-be-ex-husband? We haven't seen Magnus step a foot out of line since his affair in April with student _Alexander Lightwood_."

There was more to be read but Imasu said my name with finality. His point was proven, apparently.

I was still trying to mentally process what was in front of me. Camille had 'officially' announced their divorce? When did Twitter start to qualify as an official source of information? What was Imasu going to do, now?

"If I see the name of somebody I know in a gossip column, I'm going to look it up." He said. He added a 'duh' for emphasis.

My fist actually clenched, not that I had any plan to hit the guy. I looked around to see who was in earshot before I took hold of the mouse and clicked off the net browser altogether.

"I don't like to broadcast." I told him with a firmness I didn't feel.

Last time I got a mention, anybody with internet access was quickly convinced that I was a promiscuous home wrecker with some kind of Father complex. That they could give me a teacher, or a married man, or anybody a few years older and watch me go wild.

Guys like Dr Zachariah being a prime example.

The Doctor wasn't a gossip. In all the time I'd known him I'd never seen him take the slightest interest in pop culture. Not even a passing comment. His head was thoroughly buried in his books. So, I was pretty certain that if the whole Magnus situation was never specifically presented to him, he'd never know. I wouldn't have to risk him being uncomfortable or getting the wrong idea about me.

"Could you keep this between us?" I asked in earnest.

Imasu raised a brow and nodded towards the computer. "It seems pretty public already, Lightwood."

I tried to put the wave of discomfort I felt then out of mind. I was _not_ going to panic. Not yet, anyway. The task at hand was keeping my job.

"I mean from the Doctor." I said.

"You're worried about Zack finding out you have this older-guy fetish?" The desk clerk questioned, his tone dripping with suggestiveness.

If I had anything to choke on, I would have done so.

"No! Well yes, but _no_." I sighed. "I don't_ have_ a fe- a preference. I'm worried he'll _think_ I do."

At last, it seemed to dawn on Imasu where I was coming from. It was like a veil of confusion lifted and left him feeling enlightened. I knew he was bound to ask me more later on - if he was the kind of guy browsing gossip sites Isabelle would use in his free time, who knew? - but for now as long as we had an understanding, it was enough.

"My lips are sealed." He said. "But I don't think you need to be so neurotic about it."

I managed to smile. "I prefer the term 'careful'."

* * *

Through the day, I never had any reason to think Dr Zacheriah knew anything about Magnus and I. So I assumed Imasu had been true to his word. Before too long, it was Lunch hour, and I knew I had to call somebody and talk about what had happened that morning before I burst.

But who?

Isabelle? She'd already text me five times saying I should check out Ebony and to ask if I was okay and did I know this was going to happen this way, today? She seemed worried. I didn't want her to be. So, throwing caution to the wind along with my 'total honesty' rule, I told her everything was okay. Now she thought the article was completely expected. No problem.

I thought about dialling for Jace, but he had college stuff and anything I said to him would end up back to Izzy and that just wasn't an option.

My parents were a no-go. That went without saying. And it wasn't like my other sibling was really old enough to hear the ins and outs of all this.

Magnus? I definitely needed to talk to Magnus. But I was going to see him after work, anyway. This was going to be a big deal for us, bigger than phone calls could cover anyway.

At least when I thought about Magnus, I could let it wash over me that he was now _officially_ a single man; as far as any onlookers were concerned. I felt a lot more comfortable with that than I did with the constant worry I was doing something wrong. I wouldn't think about Camille every time we got close anymore.

Camille. I could call Camille. She called me all the time, so I figured I could do the same. What would I say? 'Hey, mon insert-French-endearment-here, a little warning would have been nice.'? Maybe not.

Then it hit me. _Magnus_ should have warned me. In fact I was sure that he _would have_ warned me.

Camille hadn't even told him about this.

* * *

**Another chapter up! It was re-written over and over, I'm hoping it ended up okay. I just had to get it posted so that I could move forward with the next one. "Photographs" is on the way.**


	38. Photographs

When I first saw Magnus in his casual clothes, the kind he lounged around in, it had been a bit of a shock. Still, it was actually a pleasant surprise to see him with his hair natural and his face void of makeup.

_This_, however, was something else entirely.

Today each of Magnus' years seemed present on his face. His eyes were more hooded than usual as he took me in and his smile seemed to take considerable effort.

He started leading me to the living area without shutting the door. I had to press all my weight against it to make it latch. When I eventually caught up to Magnus, I found him baring down over a box on the coffee table. Photographs and the odd keepsake were scattered all over the surface and there were some on the floor too. I picked up Chairman Meow before he could walk all over Magnus' memories.

When I looked at Magnus again he was putting a hand through his hair. It didn't run the whole way without hitting a snag. I wondered if he'd brushed it at all.

It was like a car wreck. Do you stare or look away?

"What's the matter with you?" I asked. I was genuinely confused. In all the conversations we'd had about this day coming, Magnus had never seemed like it bothered him.

In all honesty, I had kind of been expecting party poppers or something when I turned up.

"My wife is divorcing me, Alexander. I was hardly going to be in the best of spirits." Magnus responded starkly, plonking himself down beside his box of photographs.

"Yeah, Magnus, but I _thought_ that was what you wanted." I sounded petulant. I didn't care. He was the one talking down at me like I was a dumb kid. Okay, getting dumped wasn't nice under any circumstances, but as far as I knew Magnus and Camille weren't even a couple anymore. "Unless you didn't really stop seeing her?"

"Excuse me?" Magnus growled. It was a remarkably _male_ sound where I might have expected a hissy fit from somebody as often flamboyant as him. Sometimes I kicked myself for confusing being colourful with being effeminate.

Magnus didn't stand but he did glare up at me. As much as I liked having the extra height on him, I knelt down. I found myself a little closer to his face than I should have been.

"I asked you if you were still seeing Camille." I reiterated. Slowly, firmly. Without taking my eyes off his.

Magnus got a look on his face like he was seeing red. "Did you, now?!"

I'm not proud to say that I actually jumped with the shock of it; so loud and so close to me. I leaned back - fell back - onto my backside, which took me to what was a less threatening distance.

Or would have been, if Magnus didn't then crawl closer.

He had each of his hands resting knuckles-down on the floor on either side of me. I was trapped there, suddenly ultra-aware of how much larger than me Magnus was. He had a slim build, but he was still fully grown while I was... Not.

"How _dare you_." He growled again.

"I'm sorry." I stammered. The statement had clearly been a big mistake. I shuffled backwards, but didn't get far before my back hit the couch.

It wasn't that I was scared; I couldn't envision Magnus hurting me physically in a million years. But the vicinity seemed to be making the conflict escalate. I was cornered, and that was making my heart rate rise.

"No, Alexander. I stopped seeing her, for _you_. I have been celibate for _you_. I'm living in this-" He rose up to free his hands and gestured around to the apartment. I was only mildly relived to have my space back. I took the opportunity to sit up on the couch while it was there, and sure enough Magnus made no move to trap me again. "This _shit hole_ for _you_!"

"I said I'm sorry!" I snapped back, fed up with being yelled at. The cat, meanwhile, had scurried off into hiding. Lucky Chairman Meow. "I never forced you!"

Magnus smiled. It wasn't a pleasant smile, and I didn't like it one bit. When he caressed my face it still sent shivers through me but it wasn't like the other times. The whole gesture felt mocking.

"Of course not..." Said Magnus. "Ever the innocent one, aren't you?"

I shuddered. It wouldn't have been very clever to agree with Magnus out loud. Instead I didn't say anything, though I did wonder what he found me guilty of. If I'd wronged anybody it was Camille, and she didn't care in the least about the whole ordeal we'd been through.

I turned my attention away from Magnus. Both of us needed to calm down. We were both feeling pretty insulted. Not to mention snappy and altogether unkind. I guessed that was just the combination of his earlier bad mood and the edge I was feeling from the incident at work.

I stood and walked to look at one of the pictures on the table, just for something to do rather than gaze into space and avoid Magnus' stare.

Of course the picture was of Magnus and Camille. The banner hanging above them read _Prom 1994._ Camille's dress was a burgundy-red, pretty but simple enough to be home-made. It probably was, if Magnus was sewing back then. She looked really happy with her arm linked around his. They were both a little younger than me.

It seemed odd that I'd never even asked about when Magnus was my age. I'd heard stories about when he was younger, sure, but to me they always seemed like just that. Stories. As if Magnus just walked into the world one day the age he was when I met him.

"You were what... five? When that was taken." Magnus voice was softer, perhaps a little bitter-sounding. Far less angry, at least.

"Yeah." I said, thinking it over. Magnus was finishing his time at high school while Izzy was refusing to give up her dummy. "And it was probably past my bedtime, too."

Magnus let out a very long sigh. I tried not to take it to heart. Whatever the reason, he was clearly in a bad place.

"I knew it would happen. I just never really _saw_ it." He told me, back on the divorce topic.

"Isn't it…" I hesitated, scared of what he might say. I managed to press on even with the summersaults going on in my stomach. "Isn't it what you want?"

"Of course it's what I want!" He groaned, running his hand down his own face, exasperated. "Alec, I love you."

I smiled a little. The trouble was that I was still feeling a little edgy and very confused.

"You'll still see her, won't you? She's your friend." I said, hoping it would ease his troubles to remember the woman wasn't out of his life completely. I couldn't see the ever-interfering presence that was Camille Belcourt disappearing altogether. Not even if Magnus wanted her to, which he quite obviously didn't.

"Try to understand, Alexander, I've been coming home to the same person ever since-" Magnus stopped himself, both from speaking and rifling through the pictures on the table.

It seemed as if Magnus and Camille had been all over the world. Yet for every shot of them in a new location, there was another of them at home doing something mundane. The two of them on a bridge in Venice, then both of them in the kitchen making a complete mess of their baking attempt.

Magnus snatched something up and paled. He looked towards the spare room down the hall.

"Since when?" I asked. I didn't know at the time how completely tactless I was being.

Magnus jolted, as if he'd forgotten that I was there for a moment. He studied my face, trying to figure something out. How much trust, I suppose, he was willing to place in me.

"Since my Mother's suicide." He said; with a great deal of forced control keeping his face unnaturally neutral. "I married Camille when my Mother hung herself."

"Magnus." I breathed. I didn't have the slightest idea what to say to that. "I'm so-"

"Don't. Don't do that." He interrupted, shaking his head. He held the picture in his hand out towards me and nodded that I should take it. I didn't, but I did come closer where I could see.

Magnus' Mother had had long, inky black hair. She seemed embarrassed to have her picture taken; but happy. There was a lot of her in him; in the exotic shape of his eyes, the build of his long frame and the tone of his skin. She was plainer, though. Their similarities benefited Magnus more than her; he was exceptional, she was only almost-pretty.

Still, obligation is obligation.

"She seems lovely." I said.

"That was before she got depressed." Magnus filled in. He placed the photograph back into the box carefully, like it preserved what she'd been before then. Maybe to him it did.

Clearly, I'd stumbled upon more than I'd expected. Story of my life.

Nothing I wanted to say seemed right. It didn't seem okay to just change topics with nothing more said and at the same time... Asking questions felt highly inappropriate and unwelcome. And Magnus had already stopped me from using the go-to 'I'm so sorry' response.

I hugged him. It felt like the most supportive, warm, apologetic action I could have applied. It wasn't long before the familiar feeling of Magnus' touch wrapped around my shoulders. He planted a kiss on my forehead and it felt good not to stop him.

"I should pack all this up." Magnus eventually murmured into my hairline.

"I'll help you." I whispered back, looking up to see his eyes were closed.

We devoted the rest of the evening to memories. Magnus had a lot to talk about and the conversation took us late into the night; right on to the early hours of the Morning. He kept asking if I needed to get home, I never told him that I had active plans for the next day and was going to be a zombie. Some things were just too important to brush off. I wasn't ready to go until Magnus seemed completely exhausted.

I did, however, leave him smiling.

* * *

**Sorry it didn't get out as quickly as I hoped. Thank you for reading, I hope that it was enjoyable. The next chapter isn't named yet, but it is in progress. I shall try to get it out soon!**


	39. Making Time

Max didn't need his glasses too badly when he played sport; which was good because he hated wearing them altogether. He said that when he didn't have them on things just seemed a little blurred. Like looking through plastic sheet.

Even so, he was still scoring more goals than me in our one-on-one match. How did a kid who spent so much time sat with comics get so good at this? My late night before wasn't helping, but I'd be lying if I said that was the whole cause.

I'd been finding since leaving school that I was slowly growing less and less active. This was a problem.

Sporting and a healthy level of physical activity had always been a big part of my life alongside my grades. It was what I did in my social time. Running field with the guys at school and constantly competing with Jace.

Not to say my life wasn't busy enough; it was. That's how I got so long without realising that I was slipping out of shape. The penny had dropped when I was out of breath from the flights of stairs leading up to the apartment Kyle and I shared. I just so happened to walk in breathing heavily while my roommate contentedly did chin-ups in his doorway.

After I took a moment to appreciate the fact that Kyle was indeed 'hot like whoa' - as Clary had once put it - I recalled that I used to be able to do that, too.

"Time out." I panted, sitting down on the grass. Max grinned and ran off to get the ball.

"You really _don't_ run anymore, do you?" He said when he got back.

Kids have the most innocent way of kicking you when you're down. I shook my head and leant backwards onto my elbows. The closer to laying down the better.

"Not really." I sighed. "I haven't fit it in."

Max sat down in front of me with the ball on his lap. Even with the sunlight shining in my eyes I could see the frown playing on the edges of his mouth. He seemed almost reluctant to speak all of a sudden. "You're real busy now, huh?"

Well, didn't I just feel like the worst big-brother ever? Way to be absent, Alec.

"I can still make time to hang out with you." I told him, seriously.

When he didn't react I used my foot to nudge him in a ticklish spot on the side. He stifled a laugh; now 'far too grown up' to giggle. I nudged again.

"Quit it!" He half-whined, half-chuckled. He gave my leg a shove and I smirked.

"Well, you quit with the sulking." I retorted. He stuck out his tongue at me, I pulled a face back. I didn't mind looking weird in public if it helped to cheer Max up. An odd look from a passer-by meant very little to me in comparison. Family first.

"Not my fault you don't come over." He complained and threw the ball at me. I only just deflected it before it hit me in the face, but I couldn't catch it. It rolled about a foot away and neither of us made any move to go get it.

"Okay, I get it; I've been missing-in-action." I groaned. Look who decided to get a teenage attitude since I last saw him. "I'll fix it."

"You better." Max grinned. Then we got up for round two of the game.

* * *

It was all I could do not to fall asleep at the wheel when I was dropping Max home. He kept up a steady chatter about school and every gripe and tiff he had with Izzy or our parents; so that helped. I wanted to listen to everything and commit it to memory. You know; ask him about things later so he knew I remembered and didn't just nod along when he spoke.

I won't lie to you, though, it could be _hard_.

Max was hopping out of the car before I even switched the engine off, which wasn't all too charming. I took of my seatbelt and followed him across the lawn, he left the door wide open. Was anybody shutting doors these days?

I didn't walk right in, but it seemed dumb to stand on the porch when it wasn't even closed. I knocked and went inside at the same time, hoping that was a socially acceptable middle ground.

"Alec!" Isabelle called shrilly down the stairs, and slid full-speed down the banister. She practically tumbled off and into me; I had to grip her by the shoulders to keep her from bowling me over. "I _need _to talk to you."

I closed my eyes and summoned my patience. "I'm going to take a wild guess and say this is about Magnus?"

"Kyle said you didn't come home last night." She jabbed me in the chest with her finger to punctuate the statement. Great, now she had him in on her tracking scheme. I would have told her whatever she wanted to know if she just asked _me_. Whatever happened to asking me? "Don't waste any time, do you?"

That made me mad. I looked around to make sure that Max had run off; I could hear him in the kitchen telling Mother I was here. I was sure to keep my voice low enough they couldn't listen in.

"I didn't sleep with him, if that's what you're getting at." I hissed at her.

"What were you doing there _at all_?" Said Izzy quietly in a tone which was equally angered.

I rolled my eyes and started to take my shoes off. My Mother turns into a dragon-lady when you get mud on her rugs. Izzy seemed to be seething, so I took my time rolling up the hem of my jeans too, just to be safe.

When I stood up again her look was pure heat.

"Visiting." I said.

"Visiting?" Isabelle repeated. She couldn't have made it any more clear that she didn't believe me if she'd asked to check my fingers weren't crossed.

"Yes, Izzy. And I visited him before the announcement, too, so I don't know what your problem is now." I snapped. It wasn't as if I dropped everything and jumped his bones just because Camille had tweeted a green light.

They could take the railings off the Brooklyn Bridge but I wouldn't then go _jump off it_.

"You're going too fast." Izzy professed. She stubbornly folded her arms. I half expected her to stamp her foot on the floor, too. Or hold her breath until I vowed to spend the next year Magnus-free.

This is my baby sister talking; the one who went through guys like packs of bubble-gum before she started to date her current boyfriend Simon.

"We've been through this…" I groaned. Sometimes I felt like I was a disk stuck on repeat, and wished the people around me would skip to a different track. "If I never see him, we'll never work it out."

"Maybe you _shouldn't_-"

"Oh don't start that!" I interrupted. "I didn't even sleep there; Izzy! I just went home in the _morning_-"

Behind us, in the arch that leading to the living room, Mother cleared her throat. She was eyeing the two of us up the same way she did when we were children squabbling over who should clean up a mess we'd both made. Except she'd never heard this kind of argument in our childhoods.

"Alexander, it's good to see you." She said pointedly, directing her stern look to Izzy. That look meant _back off_. I felt myself calming; though knowing I'd probably revealed a little more than I should was mortifying. Angel knew how much of that my Mother had overheard.

"It's good to see you too." I said as I simmered. "Sorry about the yelling."

"Are you staying for dinner?" Mother asked, keeping the subject off my love-life, wisely. She probably saw where I was coming from, what with my Father's determination to earn her forgiveness as of late.

"I'm not sure I should stay." I kept my eyes on Isabelle. I didn't want to fight with my sister. I thought she was going to stop with all the complaining and fussing. If she wasn't, though, I wasn't about to let it happen in front of the rest of the family. We'd had enough rocks on the path as it was.

Mother insisted I stick around all the same. I felt sorrier for Max than anybody throughout the awkwardness of the meal; he probably had no idea what was going on. What was he supposed to think after I was just that day telling him I'd visit more?

On my way out the door I got the chance to talk to him one-on-one again; to assure him I wasn't going to avoid the house, and that Izzy and I would be fine again soon.

"You can call me any time you like, you know." I reminded him. Mother had recently consented to him getting a mobile phone, which he was very proud of. It was actually fairly up-to-date, considering what our parents are like. He must have done some major sucking up for it.

"I will." He grinned. "Just make sure you can run faster next time."

* * *

**Thank you for reading! Opinions on the last chapter were divided, but I hope that this one was enjoyed. Another should be coming soon, 'October'.**


	40. October

Isabelle was quickly talking to me again. She had herself a theory, and a plan to go with it. She made sure that _I_ always had plans in my free time. Why? Because if I was visiting her, or out with Max, or hanging with Jace, then I wasn't with Magnus.

It was Thursday, now, and I was sorry to say this plan had been working. I'd only really managed to text Magnus all week. Every time he messaged me it seemed reproachful. I think he thought I was avoiding him on purpose.

My room didn't have a window in it, so gone were the days when I could more-or-less guess the time - and check the weather - at a glance in the mornings. I always checked my phone for the time. No, I didn't have a clock either. It was one of those things I knew I should buy but never really bothered to get. Anyway, the point is that if I had messages waiting for me in the morning, I couldn't really miss them.

Izzy came up first on the screen:

**JJs 2nite. SVM live. C u thn. Xoxo**

My sister's texts always took me a few moments to decipher. Not least of all because SVM referred to Simon's band whose name changed on a regular basis. So until I remembered they were going by 'Sexy Vampire Mojo' now, I was at a loss.

Well, it looked like I would be busy again. This was something I would have gone to regardless, in friendly support, so I tried not to mind.

The next text had come from Magnus:

**Morning beautiful. Happy first of the month. X**

I tried _really_ hard not to mind.

There was something about getting messages like that from Magnus which I both hated and loved. My face broke into a dumb grin because it was nice to wake up to, but I also had the presence of mind to be embarrassed. Even though I knew I was by myself I felt the need to look around and check before I could let myself enjoy it.

After a few seconds of that I sobered myself up and sent something to say good morning back. Then on with the day.

My room was a little on the bare side. I had what I needed; my bed to sleep in and drawers for my clothes and some of my stuff. Nothing to give it personality beyond a couple family photos on the side. Things like CDs or books which might have told you something about me if you walked in were all still packed in a cardboard box next to the drawers. I kept meaning to get a bookcase or some shelves or a rack to put them in.

It occurred to me that there were more and more things I'd been meaning to do. Then I passed Kyle on the way to the bathroom and thought: _'Oh well, at least I'm not growing suspicious plants._' The real matter at hand was to have the self-restraint not to watch him all the way back to his room.

I almost made it without even looking. I would have if he didn't call back at me.

"Flowers came for you." He said. I looked back at him dumbfounded. Kyle seemed about as confused as I was. "I set them on the counter."

I changed course to go inspect the evidence. The arrangement on the counter was purple and white, along with the green from the leaves. It was very obviously a florist piece, not something from the supermarket, and there was a note attached which read: _'Third cliché's the charm?'_ In Magnus' spindly handwriting.

On the back of the card he'd jotted the words _'Purple Hyacinth'_. I thought about asking Kyle if he knew anything about that, him being the gardening _connoisseur_ that he was, but thought better of it and looked the plant up myself. They were apology flowers.

Well, I couldn't _not_ see him after that. I called him right after I showered - an act during which I was _not _singing to myself, no matter what my roommate might tell you - to say I'd come by after Simon's performance that night. That it would be fairly late when I got there and that it would only happen if Isabelle didn't kidnap me first.

Magnus agreed that should I fail to arrive, he'd alert the proper authorities that I was likely to be locked in my Mother's basement. It was on that note that I went to work.

The first of October marked an official end to the stupidly long event which had taken Dr Zachariah and me out of the office the month before. He promised me that next time anything like that happened he would ensure we didn't have to be there throughout the whole thing. Which had its pros and cons.

On the one hand, I enjoyed my actual job a whole lot better than walking around repeating the same facts to people who didn't really care. On the other, my actual job paid less, and involved long periods of time sat in a room with the Doctor I'd been learning to avoid.

Right off the bat, he had me busy with the new material he'd procured to study. He already had a bunch of his notes for me to go over, too. It was so much to digest that there was hardly time to feel awkward. I didn't know or care if he'd done this intentionally. Whatever worked - and more importantly kept me in-work - was fine by me.

However, I was starting to think I didn't have to worry about Dr Zachariah anymore. I could easily have gotten the wrong idea. I _had_ been known for my paranoia, after all, and I could have been looking for reactions where there were none.

Even if it did make me seem like a bit of a mess, I liked that idea better than my theory that the Doctor – well, Zach, I guess, if I was going to drop it – was secretly intolerant. He was acting normal enough now.

After some time spent reading over papers and the like Zach seemed to get fed up and stray into social talk. He asked me was how my sister was doing; he'd met Isabelle a couple times now. I told him about how she'd taken up an out-of-school drama class, to help her when it came to college application. I left out - obviously - how we'd been arguing a few nights before.

"You seem happier." Zach pointed out. He walked around when he read – I think it helped him to concentrate. If I had tried it I would have just gotten distracted trying not to trip over. And then tripped over anyway.

"I like October." I said. This much was true; although really it was _that_ October in particular I liked. It was just off to such a good start. I felt like if I could just keep my sister contented that what the media had dubbed 'The Banecourt Split' didn't equal instant forgiveness for Magnus, I could keep the month relatively drama-free aside from her performances.

"I like October, too." Zach said with an agreeable nod. "Halloween comes second only to Christmas."

I thought about it and spared a brief thought to Thanksgiving. But I was pretty sure Zach wasn't from the US, and I wasn't so sure that it was really a thing elsewhere, so I didn't mention it.

"I think I liked it better when I was young enough to beg for sweets." I joked. Izzy, Jace and I had always gone trick-or-treating together. Sometimes we even got to spend the night in the tree house Jace's Dad had built in their garden. That was on the occasions we weren't caught tricking by angry parents. I got a few extra years walking Max about; but he had decided he was all grown up now. "I'll probably spend this year watching a bad movie and waiting for the kids in my building to knock."

"Well, maybe we should do something." Zach suggested. He shut the book he was reading carefully and set it down on the desk. I was still skim-reading the paper; I really did have a lot to go over. I wished that Zach had given me some work to do at home through September, though I didn't know how I would have fit it in. "I know where there'll be a party."

It was actually the word party which put me off, funnily enough. With me that sort of thing was a bit of a hit-or-miss. I'd either enjoy myself immensely or be eyeing up the exits the whole night.

I knew I usually had a nice enough time when I had friends nearby, though. Plus I liked the idea of showing my co-workers I didn't spend every night out trying to get it on with guys on the dance floor. So I said yes; which made Zach look surprised. I'd surprised myself, too. Usually Izzy had to spend a long time trying to coax me into these things.

We didn't plan anything there and then, what with the end of the month being so far away, and I knew Imasu would want his input too. Zach seemed to have been distracted a sufficient amount of time and hit the books again with vigour. Work was a breeze - admittedly a rushed, hurricane-like breeze - until it was time to go. It was such a load off my shoulders to know I didn't have to dread returning to work anymore.

* * *

**Thank you for reading! It would have been earlier but I had exam results to pick up and family parties to attend. Here's hoping you guys liked the chapter, I'll try to get the next one up in a few days time: 'Not Enough Hours'.**


	41. Not Enough Hours

Seeing Simon's band was always... An experience. They played their instruments well enough but the second Eric, their drummer, got put in charge of lyrics, the songs always went downhill. Usually the group played a lot of covers so people didn't notice this shortcoming. In JJ's, however, they wouldn't have copies of songs any more than they'd display copies paintings on the walls.

Honestly. If any of the no-name artistic-types in the area ever made it big - and with friends like Clary and Simon, I sure hoped they would - Java Jone's would be at the very beginning of their rise-to-stardom story. Hell, they were in my rise-to-infamy story, at the very least.

The owner liked to be there in the evenings when the place really packed out. He smiled at me and Izzy when we walked past. I always thought it was nice of him to remember us fondly, given that we'd both quit so abruptly. Then again his shop did get a fair boost in business out of us being there, however briefly. Some of the Cammie fans who'd come to smoke me out had stayed for the coffee and were now regulars. I knew this because I overheard their comments just about every time I came in.

Thankfully I'd learned how to tune them out by now. I could focus completely on Jace as he bragged to the rest of us - Clary, Izzy, Maia and me - about how great his course at college was going. I expected as much; Jace was a joker but he wasn't the dumb blonde a lot of people thought he was. Maia on the other hand, who was newer to hanging out with us, seemed surprised that he was keeping his head above the water.

Out of all of us Clary listened to Jace with the most interest. Which given that she heard this kind of thing so often was either very impressive or just proved love was deaf as well as blind. As if Isabelle hadn't already proven that by the way her face lit up when Simon went on 'stage' (The stage at JJ's was just a cleared section of the floor with black and yellow tape around it. Stacked behind the performers were the chairs which usually filled the area.) Izzy's eyes gleamed and she pointed to her boyfriend like the rest of us might have missed him.

Clary made a noise; a half-stifled 'woohoo', I guess. Jace overpowered her voice with a much louder noise and clapped his hands above his head. It looked a lot more sarcastic than it was intended. Or maybe Jace was just being a dick, which was equally possible.

"Shall I get the coffee?" Clary offered. She was always the first to ask whenever Simon wasn't there. She probably would have paid for the it too if the rest of us would let her.

"I'll come." Jace insisted. The usual order came on a tray and he got some kind of ego-boost out of being the one to carry it. Don't ask, I don't get it either. Guys do weird things just as much as girls.

So, I was left listening to the just-about-tolerable music while Izzy and Maia got to gossiping. Maia was dating my roommate, which is how I'm assuming my sister got information from him. If she wasn't going into acting I'd advise her to become a gossip columnist. She was good at digging things up.

When the others came back with the coffee and Jace had presented it to the group like he'd gone out and hunted us a boar or something, I was glad to get the energy boost. It was going to be another long night for me. There just weren't enough hours in the day anymore.

When Simon's set closed and they got their equipment packed up into Eric's van out back, the band all came over to our booth as they always did. I didn't know most of the members and tonight was not the night I would get to know them, either.

"Nice one, guys." I encouraged, standing up knowing that my spot would be taken quickly. With all the people around and Izzy busy going googly-eyed, I could get out of there without my absence being noticed right away. Jace was quick to distract anybody from the fact I'd spoken at all. You could always rely on him to draw attention to himself.

"Did you hear me cheering?" He asked, and like that it was as if I wasn't there.

I felt bad leaving without real goodbyes; I couldn't have said them without Izzy realising something was up, though. I didn't want another argument.

The drive to Magnus' seemed drawn out. As if at any second somebody could pop up out of nowhere and catch me. I had to keep reminding myself that I wasn't doing anything wrong. Parking by Magnus building made me nervous for different reasons. It might have been a little prejudiced but I had been raised wary of rougher neighbourhoods. Sue me.

I was quick enough to get off the streets and away from the dark that came with the busted streetlamps. I was faster to get up the rickety stairwell and far from the threat of spiders. Seeing the apartment numbers on Magnus' door felt like reaching a long-awaited destination.

When Magnus answered the door he didn't waste any time with greetings before he kissed me. I was tugged over the threshold and into his lips by my shirtfront. It took me a moment or two to realise what was going on and respond accordingly.

When he broke away Magnus was breathless. The kiss had left my lips tingling from the impact. It had been a long time since we had kissed and I hadn't been expecting it right there and then.

Somehow the setting didn't seem to matter like I would have thought. I wouldn't mind kissing in a grimy corridor a thousand more times as long as I was kissing _him_. Maybe it was my inexperience talking - in fact, it was almost definitely my inexperience talking - but it was difficult to imagine it feeling as right with anybody else as it did with Magnus.

He grinned and jammed the door shut behind me.

"Interesting 'Hello' you have there." I said. I wiped away the moisture Magnus had left on my mouth as I headed further inside. I tried to keep the butterflies inside me from fluttering out in my voice.

"I thought it perfectly expressed my sentiment." Magnus mused.

If his sentiment had been a desire to do it against his front door, then yes, he'd definitely expressed it. I could only hope he hadn't gotten the wrong idea about me calling in so late at night. I could just picture Izzy's face when she found out if anything happened in that regard.

I was smart enough, however, to know that it wouldn't be a good move at all. My first time with Magnus - my first and only time at all, in fact - had happened in no small part because I had a point to prove. That did not pan out well. So, with things as they were? It was quite simply a no-go.

"You are full of sentiment." I commented, giving thought to the bouquet Magnus had sent. "The flowers were really nice."

"Good. Finding them was a nightmare. They're 'Spring-bloomers' apparently." Magnus explained, making it very clear that he knew about as much seasonal flowers as I did. Absolutely nothing.

The living space was a mess which spread out from Magnus' usual spot on one of the couches. Pencils and paper littered the space. He'd been making sketches and looked embarrassed for me to see them. He went over and got to straightening the area up.

"Sorry." He said. "Photography is the day-job, my home is my studio."

There was a hint of bitterness in his voice. I was willing to bet that he had an _actual_ studio back at his old place. I wondered what he was using the spare room here for, if not for his creations. Maybe that room was in a worse state.

I lifted a couple sheets to take a look while Magnus busied himself. I was stricken.

"These are amazing." I said. I had no other words to fit the situation.

Magnus half-smiled at me like I'd made a mistake. "They're not that great."

I looked at the drawings again; I couldn't agree with him. I was impressed, if not slightly ashamed of myself for not taking an interest in his work before. It shouldn't have been that surprising to me that Magnus was good at what he did.

"This is going to be a busy month for me." He said.

I'd been there. Only for me it had been a busy _few_ months. I felt sorry to keep Magnus from his task. It was more important than ever for him to get ahead now that Camille wasn't there with all the income she'd brought to the table. His safety net was gone.

"Do you want me go?" I enquired. I'd hoped to see a little more of Magnus that night but we both had work and sleep we could have been getting on with.

A look appeared on Magnus' face like I'd suggested something unthinkable.

"No, never." He said. "Don't you go anywhere."

So I didn't. Not for another couple of hours. Izzy started texting me when I ignored her calls, mad that I'd managed to bail on her and knowing exactly where I'd gone. Well, not _exactly_. I made a point of not giving her Magnus' address no matter how many times she asked. Jace text me too, finding the whole thing hilarious.

I found myself laid on the couch with Magnus sat on one end. He pulled my feet into his lap and chuckled every time I showed him one of the messages. He thought it was sweet of Izzy to look out for me and didn't mind that she thought he was some kind of villain.

I could have stayed there all night if I didn't have to be up the next day. Unfortunately I had to get going: Get home, get to bed. Magnus joked that he had a perfectly good bed in his room. Well, I think it was a joke, and he didn't try to push the matter. But when I was on my own I very nearly wished I'd taken him up on the offer.

My room was dark. I lay staring into the black for a few minutes trying to make out the outline of the hyacinths in their vase before I got fed up and grabbed my phone.

If I was going to think about Magnus, he might as well know.

**I miss you.**

* * *

**Thank you for reading, everybody. Hope that you liked the chapter! The next one 'Misinterpretation' is coming soon. **

**_(On another note: Happy City of Bones release! Anybody else gone to see it already or am I just an addict?_****)**


	42. Misinterpretation

When I knocked on his door, Magnus didn't come to open it. I heard him yell 'Come in!' from somewhere deeper inside. Which, if you'd seen Magnus' building, you'd know wasn't the smartest idea.

"I could have been anybody!" I called in scoldingly, shoving the door shut behind me.

"I'm kind of stuck, right now." He replied.

I stopped short when I got to the living space. If I thought it had been messy before then this took the cake. Huge masses of fabrics were draped on every surface, scattered with pins and drawings and chalks and wire and scissors and tools I didn't know the names of.

At the end of it all was Magnus, pinning a swath of midnight fabric to what looked like a purple dismembered torso. He appeared to be struggling.

I started picking my way towards him over the messy floor. "You need help, there?"

Magnus glanced up, taking in my complete lack of competence with fashion, and smirked.

"Do _you_ need help, there?" He asked.

"Yes, actually." I retorted. "I'm not sure I can get across without impaling my foot on your pins."

"Halloween is dress-up time." Magnus explained. Well, I take it he thought he was explaining, anyway. Until he saw the blank look I was giving him. He boiled it down for me. "People need costumes. I make clothing."

I craned my head to look at a drawing on the table. The sketch was elaborate, beautiful, even. Nothing like anything I'd seen a trick-or-treater wear in my life. The other sketches were much the same - wonderfully different to one another, but nothing you'd wear to go out door-to-door.

"These aren't costumes." I pointed out. Even somebody with my level of ignorance in this area could see that. "These are beautiful."

Magnus looked genuinely flattered, finally sticking the final pin he needed to keep the fabric from falling down under its own weight. The result was only a rough approximation of what I was looking at on paper; but I knew this was very early on in the process.

"You are very sweet." He said, taking a step back to observe what he'd arranged, fairly grimly. "I hate for you to see it before it's done, now. I promise it ends up much better."

"I'm sure it does." I smiled.

I was almost out of the cluttered labyrinth when I tripped; Magnus was there to catch me. Only just, though. He got me under the arms pretty uncomfortably when I was just a couple inches above ground. I had to scramble to get up without crushing anything or falling again.

In truth, it probably would have been easier if he just let me fall. But it's the thought that counts.

"Maybe we should go out somewhere." Magnus suggested, straightening up his own clothes. "This place is a hazard."

"Agreed." I nodded, and off we went with a renewed effort to get back the way we came. This time, Magnus was able to rearrange a better pathway, seems as he wasn't shy of moving his own things around.

I didn't even want to think about where the cat was during all of this. Magnus poor kitten had it rough sometimes.

We walked for a while with nowhere to really go. Magnus told me about all the people he had commissions for, which is why he was starting production early. Well, he claimed it was probably a little late to start, but people didn't often think about their Halloween costumes until October started, really. There would be a lot of shoots too, he was really going to be up to his eyeballs in it for a while.

I was so intent on listening that I hardly noticed I was being called. Magnus turned before I did.

When I saw the person approaching, I wished he hadn't. Zach came hurrying along the pavement towards us.

"Funny to bump into you." He said with his face flushing from the half-run he'd been doing. I internally made a snarky comment about how he actually hadn't bumped into us at all. Of course, I would never have said it out loud.

"Yeah, so funny." I agreed, instead.

I was willing to leave it at that but then I got given the typical expectant looks of two people waiting to be introduced. Oh, joy.

"Magnus, this is my boss." I filled him in.

Zach made a short sound, kind of like a dog getting his tail stepped on, and then started an uneasy laughter.

"You make me sound like a dragon." He said.

Magnus laughed along, equally false about it, and extended his hand. They shook firmly, and I wanted to curse Magnus for introducing himself by name.

"Where have I heard that before…?" Zach thought out loud. His dark eyes seemed to scrutinise me. I wasn't about to clue him in so I started to swerve the topic.

"Dr Zachariah is a Historian." I told Magnus, although he already knew this. "I assist his research."

By now Magnus seemed to have cottoned on to my reluctance. I was silently pleading him to make up an excuse to leave before Zach put two-and-two together. We'd _just_ started getting along again; but if there was one thing Magnus Bane could do, it was get a reaction. He could potentially drop me back to square one.

"All of our tutoring sessions came in handy, then?" Magnus asked with a bemused smirk. Zach seemed to miss the lack of seriousness in his voice and completely bought into the same story which had fooled my parents.

"You never told me you had a tutor." He smiled. Ever smiling. Then he turned that smile on Magnus. "You must have done an excellent job."

Zach placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it there. Maybe it was supposed to be encouraging? In truth it felt unusual. Zach was friendly but he wasn't typically touchy-feely about it. All the while he kept his gaze fixed on Magnus; whose head tilted as he eyed up the scene. He had the same look his kitten got when confused.

"Well, thank you." He beamed. "Although, it helps to have such a gifted student."

"I don't know about-" I blanched and started an attempt to swerve away from the praise. It wasn't exactly deserved when Magnus never had me as a student at all. Zach cut me off. Not like an interruption; more like he hadn't registered I was talking at all.

"You should stop by the Museum so Alec can show you what we're working on." He suggested.

"Sounds great." Said Magnus, even though the whole subject was a bore to him.

Magnus liked the Museum for the artsy exhibits on the floor above where I worked. He'd listen to me talk about my work but it wasn't his area of interest; so I knew he was just being polite to Zach. He'd probably avoid the place, now, to keep from getting a lecture.

"Maybe, some time." I added, mostly just to remind the two of them that I was there.

With that Zach excused himself, with the typical "Nice to meet you."

I watched him walk away and made sure not to talk to Magnus until my boss had rounded a corner. I wasn't expecting Magnus to look half as entertained as he was. It was as if his sides would split open if he didn't laugh; but he was holding it in anyway.

I didn't think much of it; Magnus got a kick out of pretending to be somebody else. He probably wished that he'd had the dumb fake glasses he used to wear when my Mother was around. To complete his 'Tutor' look.

Eventually he couldn't contain himself and started to chuckle. "Well. That explained a lot."

I was confused. "What, exactly, did that explain?"

"Why he never told you what he meant to say at your party." Magnus smirked with the knowledge of something I wasn't grasping. The temptation to hit him or at least shoulder him pretty hard was growing. We changed course to a nearby diner.

I held my tongue long enough to realise Magnus wouldn't elaborate unless asked.

"Why's that?" I probed.

"Because he was never going to say anything." Magnus laughed and threw his hands in the air as if to show it was obvious. Then he put his hands down. He moved closer, his face inches from mine. He parted his lips like he was going to speak, just as Zach had. I waited... And then he kissed me.

"He was going to do _that_."

* * *

**Another chapter up! Thank you for reading, as always. 'Signals and Logic' is coming next - which is more like the second half of this chapter. It was getting pretty long. **


	43. Signals and Logic

"You're kidding." I gasped. Magnus had pulled back but I could still feel the ghost of him on my lips.

He thought Zach had planned to _kiss_ me? No. There was no way.

"You don't see the way he looks at you?" Magnus' smirk could be incredibly annoying at times. How could be so assured? He hadn't known Zach for longer than five minutes! He hadn't even been at the party. He didn't know what had happened.

"You mean _smiling_?" I asked with a fair amount of sarcasm. "He smiles at everybody. That's pretty much his thing."

"Maybe he does. But the smile _I_ got said 'back-off'." Magnus placed a hand on my shoulder, replicating Zach's movement a few moments before. He smiled, too, but made sure I got an eyeful of the challenging look in his eyes as he said: "This is mine."

I scoffed and ducked from beneath his grasp. Magnus was crazy. A guy like him who saw mating opportunities in anything with a pulse was bound to get that idea. I was convinced he had it wrong.

We entered the diner still debating Magnus' 'discovery' – that was what he called it. I labelled it a misconception – the sign outside had read 'Takis'. I'd never noticed the place before.

The inside had the same kind of slightly-dim lighting as Java Jones and the menus looked a little worse for wear. It was nice. Not too sterile looking, not a complete dump either.

"You're ridiculous." I muttered once Magnus had sent the waitress off for cold drinks.

"I'm ridiculous?" Magnus laughed. "You got _desire_ confused with homophobia. _That_ is ridiculous."

"I did not!" I snapped, summoning the restraint not to whine about it. I hid my face behind my menu to hide my embarrassment.

Magnus wasn't right. He wasn't.

But what if he was?

I thought about how much would fall into place if what Magnus said was true. Like why it would matter to Zach if Jace had turned out to be my boyfriend. Or why he'd avoid me for so long – thinking I had a sexual harassment claim against him or something.

"I did not." I reiterated. This time more for my own benefit. New doubts in my mind were the last thing I needed but now I'd have to be keeping my ears open again. If anything, this new suspicion was _more_ awkward than when I thought Zach had a problem with me.

Magnus tilted my menu down to the table so he could look into my eyes. He appeared to be searching me. I cast my gaze back downward.

"Am I an idiot?" I asked. I felt like one. Stupid, oblivious Alec. Always missing the signs. A step behind everybody else.

Magnus reached out a hand to cover mine. He was warm as ever. "No. You're just innocent."

I managed to snap out of my thoughts and pulled a face at him; wrinkling my nose at the implication. Children and puppy dogs were 'innocent'. Not me. I told him as much and Magnus responded by grinning. Something told me he wasn't convinced.

"Okay." He conceded. "More like… New. I mean, you didn't even date before me, did you?"

Not in any real capacity. I'd had guys I liked and guys I'd spent time with; I wasn't a complete shut-in. The thing was that I was aiming for a very small section in the middle of a Venn diagram of 'Gay' and 'Compatible' males. I never would have pegged Magnus as being in that section, yet there we were.

I nodded along. "No, I didn't date."

"So you never learned the signals." Magnus professed. I was sure he was master of the signals; although that wasn't a skill he ever had to use on me.

I wasn't one to stand out, but when it came to flirtation I was about as subtle as neon. Not in that cool, confident way Magnus and Jace had, either. Mine was a foot-in-mouth kind of obviousness where I just couldn't keep my intentions veiled. Jace had known about my crush on him long before I did.

"Is this the part where you try to school me on 'the signals'?" I joked. The waitress came back carrying two glasses and set them down in front of us. I could proudly say I actually noticed _her_ flirtation with Magnus; the way her body turned to almost cut me out of the picture. Magnus gave my hand another squeeze, right in plain sight of her, and she veered off.

I couldn't keep my smile at bay.

_That's more like it. _I thought. Which probably would have made me sound like a possessive gnat had I said it out loud. I figured it was alright to think though. I could be selfish in my own mind; so long as in the real world I showed I appreciated the efforts Magnus made to be different.

I'd seen the backlash that occurred when I didn't. Magnus was happy to drop this whole arrangement he'd had with Camille but he wanted the fact he'd done that to be acknowledged. Which I thought was fair enough; I was as grateful to have another chance as he was. Even if it did take me a while to decide that was what I wanted.

"I'm not teaching you _anything_." Said Magnus. "It would be too easy to lose you if you knew how expendable I am."

Not only did the statement itself surprise me; so did Magnus' sincerity. He really seemed to think there was a risk there. I thought he was insane if he thought my cup runneth over with options. I wasn't _that _oblivious.

"I already have this younger Doctor guy to worry about." He continued with a little of his usual humour coming back to his voice.

"You don't have to worry about anybody." I said, seriously. I wasn't his ex-wife; Magnus wasn't going to look over his shoulder one day and find me sleeping with my workmates.

I got the raised-eyebrow response.

"I have you." I said without much thought. Then I suddenly re-thought as quickly as the words left my mouth. Unfortunately I couldn't come up with a counter-statement fast enough and started to babble. "Well, not officially. I mean we're- I just- You _know_-"

"If you don't mind me asking…" I didn't mind Magnus saying anything that interrupted my shocking display of incoherency. "Why _not_ officially?"

My thoughts went from hazy static to blank slate. All that I had left at my disposal was the autopilot saying the things I knew I _should_ say.

"It's too soon." I heard myself reply. "It's not the right time."

Magnus leant back in his seat casually and seemed to contemplate this. Eyes cast to the ceiling, fingers around his chin and all. "But you _are_ planning to make it official at some point?"

"Yes. Of course I am." I wouldn't have stood by and let everything he Magnus had had before fall apart if I didn't.

Now Magnus nodded. "And we're already exclusive. I haven't looked elsewhere. You have nobody lined up?"

"No." I agreed. "There's nobody else."

"And we see each other one-on-one an awful lot." By now Magnus was squinting at me like he didn't quite understand what was going on. "I don't want to be pushy Sweatpea but pouring water into a cola bottle doesn't make it fizzy."

I blinked at him. "What are you getting at?"

"If you're treating this like a relationship, I don't think labelling it something else makes a difference." Magnus lifted my fingers up to his lips, leaned forward and kissed them reassuringly. "And I'd like to be _together_, already."

I bit down on my lip. Magnus knew how to be persuasive and he raised a pretty good point. Of course he did. What he said didn't change the fact that it was all going very fast. But neither did my splitting hairs about the terminology.

"Well… I know how you hate to be single…" I said shakily. Nervous. After everything Isabelle had done to warn me of this moment, it felt like I was doing something wrong. Breaking a law. Not a big, go-to-prison law; one of those rules nobody follows. Like running across the road before the traffic light stops the cars.

But sometimes you're just ready to _go_ and it doesn't seem that dangerous, anyway.

And the Angels knew I was ready.

* * *

**Thank you for reading! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this one goes down okay. I know there are a few of you in the 'give it more time' camp. **

**Thanks for your reviews, too. It was fun seeing how many of you had accurate predictions about the last chapter! The next one, 'Searching For Signals' is coming soon.**


	44. Searching For Signals

My limbs ached, I was exhausted and I was panting hard.

I'd managed to fit running into my schedule more and more lately, but the laps still took more of a toll on me than they used to. On the plus side it wasn't as difficult to keep up with Jace as it had been. Of course, then Jace started to jog backwards just to rub in that he was better.

"Oh come _on_." He teased. Jace was panting too, though his breathing wasn't half as laboured as mine. "What, isn't Magnus working you out enough?"

I flushed. And not just from the physical work. Usually I have a better control over my embarrassment but all my will was currently focused on making my feet move.

"Shut up." I ordered.

Jace moved out of my way before I could push him. He fell back into step beside me and it seemed effortless. He still played sports in College so keeping fit had never dropped from his agenda.

"Maybe he's too old to keep up with you?" Jace grinned. This time I managed to body-check him and he stumbled a couple steps.

I'm pretty sure I've said it before, but I'm happy to say it again. My friend is a dick. However, Jace wasn't a _judgemental_ dick. That made him easy to be around. My seeing Magnus was getting nothing but disapproval everywhere else I turned.

"He's not _elderly_, Jace!" I huffed.

Besides that, the one time I had 'experienced' Magnus the way Jace was implying, he had proven more than capable of keeping up. That sort of thing was pretty much Magnus' element. Me, on the other hand... Well. I couldn't really be blamed if I didn't know what I was doing so well.

I consoled myself with the fact it couldn't have been so bad for him if Magnus had come back to me afterwards. But I tried not to think about it, anyway.

"Yeah, yeah." Jace laughed. "Just don't let him fool you into thinking a walking stick is a fashion statement."

* * *

The thing about work is that no matter how much of the day you spend sat down or stationary, you always seem to feel worn out afterwards. As if you've put in all the effort you could spare that day into it. I'd thought that maybe if I started to run in the mornings I could eliminate that was keeping me from doing it afterwards.

This was not a good plan. Mostly because of my bad timekeeping.

The shower I took was so rushed that it probably wasn't even worth it. I didn't get to dry myself properly afterwards so the clothes I wore still ended up moist. I guess wetness from water was better than wetness from sweat. It smelled better, at the very least.

I wasn't running late enough to get me into trouble but I did have to hurry. I took the stairs up to the Museum quickly and nearly tripped once or twice, then shot through the doors to clock in at the desk with Imasu. We did the usual morning greetings in record time before I darted through to the office.

"Sorry I'm late, Zach, I needed to change my clothes." I explained, my breathing was already back to laboured. Give me a break, I didn't bet on having to run around after the laps which were _planned_.

Zach looked up from his laptop a little dumbfounded.

"You had to change clothes?" He asked. He kindly got some water from the small cooler we had and handed it to me. I thanked him and gulped the contents of the little plastic cup down.

"Yeah." I nodded. "I was out running laps and I got all sweaty and-"

I didn't think that I imagined the way Zach's dark eyes glinted when I spoke. I saw him look me over. Before, I might have ignored that or passed it off as something else; but I knew that look. I'd seen it on Magnus' face.

I didn't want to see it at work.

"-and that's gross. You don't want to hear this." I said. Hoping to take the conversation in a more professional direction. There was a good chance - better chance given the way he was staring at me now - that Zach already wanted to see me naked. I didn't need to talk about going home to shower.

"So... You're a fitness enthusiast?" Zach enquired and perched on the edge of the desk with his arms folded. He sounded flustered and cleared his throat.

"I don't think I'm dedicated enough to be called an 'enthusiast'." I laughed, albeit a little uneasily. "I try to keep healthy."

I slipped into my usual seat and doubly regretted choosing the morning for my outing with Jace. Flushed as I was, with my hair still damp and likely going wild, Zach was getting a pretty good approximation of what I'd look like having been 'worked out' (as Jace had so casually put it). I tried to regulate my breathing and buried my head in a book.

Zach resumed his read-walking for a while instead of sitting to type more of his latest paper. I wished he'd just sit down to concentrate; the sounds of him moving kept reminding me that he was there and left me very distracted.

More than that I wished that Magnus had never noticed anything off about Zach. I was so damn confused now. On the one hand, it was starting to look like a really accurate deduction. On the other I could have been misreading, it could have been Magnus' imagination.

Did he really smile at me differently? Had he really tried to ward Magnus off with that look in his eyes? A lot of things had been thrown into question now.

I thought about asking Imasu about it, sure that Zach would have mentioned it to him if he did have an interest in me. I stopped myself because if I did ask Imasu and it turned out to be a false alarm I had no doubt that it would get back to Zach and I would have opened a whole new can of worms.

So, _if_ there was anything to discover I had to find out on my own. Not that that felt particularly hard anymore.

Next time Zach came close to see what I was reading he laid his hand on my shoulder again, like he had in front of Magnus days before. I immediately forgot about reading and focused on the hand that touched me. All I heard in my mind was the way Magnus had growled _mine_. My heart rate began to escalate. I didn't know if it was nerves or Magnus or something else causing it, but I swallowed and prayed it would slow again.

"Anything interesting?" Zach asked, using his other hand to pick up my notes. I usually saved him time by finding the relevant parts in amongst the parts of the texts we got that weren't so important. A lot of the time he read the whole thing himself anyway, which made it seem a little bit pointless. It felt like being paid to expand my own knowledge.

_And sit in the office where he can see me_.

Woah. Okay, that train of thought was heading nowhere good, so I got off it right away.

"Oh, yes." I said. I gave the book I had to him knowing he'd have to take it with both hands. He looked affronted for a second before he grasped it; and I smiled a little too widely in an attempt to cover up my awkwardness.

I knew from that point on that it was going to be a long day.

* * *

**Once again, a big thank you to readers. I hope that you liked the chapter, and shall post the next one 'Helping Hands' in the near future.**


	45. Helping Hands

It was clear outside. Not warm but not damp either; without the threat of rainclouds. The mid-October weather was great for painting, I thought. So I took myself to my Mother's house where I knew the porch was in dire need of a touch-up. She was a very house-proud woman and the outside of her home ought to have reflected that as much as the inside.

Mother was still at work when I arrived so Izzy let me in and helped me locate the paint buckets in the basement. She didn't want to help with the job, despite that she would paint her room at any given interval. Instead Isabelle sat on the dry part of the deck reading a magazine while Max and I got on with it. My little brother had been more than keen to throw on some old clothes and help out.

It wasn't long before a familiar car pulled into the drive. Mother ran her window down while she waited for the garage to open – which it did automatically. She looked surprised and happy, which was exactly the effect I was going for. She needed a little more happiness and a little less work in her life. I hadn't realised how much she used to do for us all until she'd stopped. Now I was well aware of how much aid she really could use.

"You didn't need to do this!" She gasped when she headed up the pathway.

I shook my head. It wasn't about _having _to. And there was no reason to make a big thing out of it, in my opinion. "How was work?"

Izzy grabbed Mother's briefcase and ran it inside while we exchanged the usual pleasantries. We asked each other about work and both responded that things were just fine. I didn't mention the whole 'there's a good chance my boss wants to jump my bones' thing. That was between me and Magnus. And I guess Zach too, although we hadn't talked about it.

Max slid by us, very careful not to get paint on our Mother's suit at the risk of letting all hell rain down. I took the bucket from him and lowered it over the fence when he reached the bottom of the steps so he wouldn't trip and drop it everywhere. We didn't need white grass to match the fence.

"Thanks Alec." He grinned and went back to the beams. I think Mother was planning to ruff up his hair before she saw the flecks of white in it and changed her mind.

* * *

To make up for not helping us paint, Izzy offered to help cook dinner. Not good. What was worse was not having an excuse to turn down a plate of potential food poisoning. Magnus was working late; I had nothing to get back to. I crossed my fingers and hoped Mother would keep Izzy relegated to the chopping board.

Max had gone inside to get changed before dinner when my Father arrived. I was surprised to see him then and a little ashamed that I hadn't seen him at all lately. When he neared we both nodded in acknowledgement.

"Back entrance." I told him. "The paint is wet."

Father looked me up and down and asked me if I'd decided to roll around in the paint myself. I laughed. My jeans were already distressed, so the white smudges and fingerprints might have even been passable if my t-shirt hadn't also been splattered. My trainers were beyond repair so it was a good thing I'd worn old ones and not my boots. I could feel a drying patch of paint on my left cheek, as well.

When we went to the back of the house I saw that the fence there could do with a coat or two as well. I'd have to come back for that.

"Aren't you coming in?" My Father questioned me from the doorframe. I noticed that he hadn't knocked before he opened it, which I found weird. I wasn't sure if he'd earned that privilege of if he'd just forgotten that he didn't live there anymore.

"I need to dry off." I explained. "I didn't bring spare clothes."

"Borrow something of Isabelle's." He suggested. I could only blink at him completely clueless. "I don't mind."

This was a man who rarely joked, so you always could tell when he did. And this was apparently not one of those times. I closed my eyes and prayed for patience.

"I think you're confusing gay with... something else." I informed him.

As predicted he got that enlightened look on his face. _Wow_. Just wow.

"Am I?" He asked.

"_Yes_." I insisted, reminding myself not bang my head against the wall of the house. I would have ended up smearing paint on it. That wouldn't be good. "Wrong identification."

Thankfully we were interrupted before I had to listen to more of my Father's failed attempts at understanding me. Mr Diversity, he was not. Izzy did bring out clothes, which caused him to give me a doubtful look, before he realised they belonged to Simon. Then he turned a stern glance to her.

"It's for sleeping in." She said. It only hardened his features. Bad move. "He was going to throw it out so I-"

"Quit while you're ahead." I told her, before she dug herself a hole. She could explain the T-shirt that way, maybe, but not the lower half.

I went into the garage to change, washing my hands and face with the hose tap beforehand, then headed inside. Simon was smaller than I was, but he wore clothes that were too big for him a lot of the time, so the tightness wasn't too bad. I could have done with a little more length in the legs, though.

When I got in Isabelle was laying the table and talking about drama club. She was going to play Juliet in their next production, which of course left her giddy.

My sister was every teenage girl who thought Shakespeare was the most beautiful thing in the world, even if they'd never read a play. And of _course_, Romeo and Juliet _must_ be the most romantic thing ever. I wasn't convinced, even after all the times Izzy had made me watch a film adaptation.

I remembered one of them, 'Fortune's Fools', which did the modern-retelling thing without the original dialogue (a la Luhrmann). It had been one of Izzy's favourites for a while, perhaps because it had starred a certain French actress I knew.

"I think Cam played Juliet once." I said, thinking it was a valid addition to the conversation until everybody went quiet. I carried on laying out cutlery and trying to figure out why that had been wrong.

"Cam being... Camille Belcourt?" Mother ventured reproachfully.

Izzy chimed in next, before I could confirm. She was adjusting the centrepiece - we always had one on the table - her disapproval simply rolled off in waves.

"I didn't know the two of you were close." She sounded like she'd rather chew glass than talk about this.

Now I knew what the 'mistake' was. I was supposed to pretend like Magnus and everything about him didn't exist in my sister's presence. Well, tough luck.

"She's Magnus' best friend, so I see her a lot." I bit back at her.

This, of course, wasn't strictly true, but I did hear from Camille over the phone a fair amount. She was a busy woman but she liked to check up on what was happening and Magnus didn't always tell her the whole story anymore. Which I was sure irritated her to no end. That was when she'd call me for my half.

Izzy rolled her eyes. Mother tried to look accommodating. Father looked like he wanted to be anywhere else. The whole thing was unpleasant for him in the oddest of ways; so close to home yet so out of his comfort zone.

"And… How is Magnus?" Mother asked politely. She couldn't hide the strain behind her smile. I must have got my defective subtlety gene from her. Izzy was the one who got our Father's outstanding facial control.

"He's great!" I smiled right back at all of them, to show that I wouldn't take them poking holes in my relationship decisions anymore. They were _my_ decisions, after all. If I wanted advice - from Izzy especially - I would ask for it. "He sends his love, by the way."

My sister looked like she wanted to say more but was cut off. Mother sent her love back and Father changed the subject; and that was the end of that. We called Max in, we ate, we chat about other things and I arranged a day to come back and paint again.

I sighed when I finally left to drive home. When did I start to hate family gatherings?

* * *

**Another family life chapter. I hope it was enjoyed and should get the next chapter "Break The Cycle" in the next couple of days. A big thank you for reading and reviewing as per usual!**


	46. Break the Cycle

Magnus viewed the events of my workdays with particular hilarity lately. I swear that hearing about it was becoming his favourite pastime whenever we met up. Which was often. I spent as much time at Magnus' place as I did my own, if not more.

Some evenings he'd be literally swamped in fabric. When he got like this, I was discovering, Magnus would forget to eat. I spoke to Cam about it, she said that was common. The longest he'd gone was two days - she would have intervened but she was away filming at the time.

Camille had told me that Magnus grew up going hungry and didn't really notice when his body was complaining. At that point I'd asked her not to tell me any more on the topic; it sounded like the kind of thing I should only hear from Magnus himself.

So I took it on as a personal task to make sure Magnus didn't starve himself in the name of work. That was how I ended up cooking in his kitchen; which was immaculate from lack of use.

"Smells good." Magnus commented. I jumped. I hadn't realised he'd come to sit on one of the counter tops beside me.

"Well, not many Lightwoods can cook, and those of us who can don't like to. So you're honoured." I let Magnus know. Really, my Mother was excellent at it, but if she could have hired somebody to feed the family for her she would have them do it instead.

"Well I look forward to it..." Magnus was purring again. He usually did that when he wanted to get away with something.

"Don't you have work to do?" I asked when he got up and held me from behind.

Magnus was taller than me but he wasn't quite tall enough to rest his chin comfortably on the top of my head, which he tried. He rested on my shoulder instead, but he had to bend over a little, and that was no good for his back.

I don't want to hear any old man jokes here. Hunching over a sewing machine all day would give anybody an ache.

"I'm not too busy to hear about your day." Magnus always knew how to perfectly tone his voice. It was one of the reasons he always sounded wonderful, even when his accent got the better of his pronunciation.

One evening I'd managed to coax the story of Magnus' origin out of him; despite the fact he was reluctant to talk about it. His accent, as it turned out, was a muddled mixture that came from growing up in a Dutch-speaking country with an Indonesian-speaking family; then emigrating (legally, I was assured) when he was around ten years old and learning to speak English.

He considered Indonesian his native language although he hadn't spoken it since marrying Camille. I could read between the lines; he was saying he stopped speaking it after his Mother died. I guess it reminded him of her too much.

Magnus didn't mention going hungry as a kid, or anything all that personal. I could only speculate that his Mother had been either too poor or too depressed to go buy food. And if that was the case than I figured wanting to keep that to himself made sense.

"Alec? The stove." Magnus said. I stopped phasing out and jumped to turn the heat down when I saw the water in one of the pans was boiling over.

"I think it's ready." I told him, cursing under my breath. Maybe I got the Lightwood cooking curse after all.

* * *

"So you believe me now?" Magnus smirked and dumped his completely-empty plate into the dishwasher. I thought it was kind of wasteful to use a dishwasher for such a small load but he turned it on anyway. I wondered if he used it when it was only his mess to take care of. Whatever. His apartment, his bills.

"It's not funny Magnus..." I whined. I'd just been telling him about work while we ate. "How am I supposed to see this Zach every weekday?"

There wasn't any doubt anymore. The last couple days the only way I was able to hide my discomfort at work was by smiling through it. Trouble was, Zach appeared to be taking that as encouragement. The more awkward I felt, the closer he got. Today he'd pushed my hair out of my face while I was talking to him and I stopped mid-sentence.

"Well, if you were Cammie I'd tell you to just sleep with him, but _we_ don't do that." Magnus considered aloud. "So... I guess I don't know."

Helpful. It was clear that my boyfriend's age didn't always equate to wisdom. Here I'd been trying to think of a reasonable way to breech the topic with Zach, while the Magnus approach was more along the lines of 'just do him'.

"How is Cam, anyway? I was just talking about her the other day." I said, seems as our conversation about dealing with flirtatious co-workers had hit a brick wall.

"You were talking about her?" Magnus appeared to be astonished. I knew he liked us getting along, I think it would have been pretty hard on him if I viewed his ex-wife in a hateful sort of way. In fact I was sure that would have been a deal breaker between us. "Why's that?"

So I told him about dinner at my Mother's place. About the conversations we'd had and all the tension in the room. About how Isabelle was being stubborn as hell.

"But my Mother sends her love." I said half-heartedly as I'm sure she'd have meant it.

Magnus looked thoughtful for quite a long time. I began to wonder if he remembered I was in the room at all and picked up the Chairman. Magnus' little cat let out a yawn and settled back down into my lap without a complaint. I'd never met a more compliant animal.

"I don't like all this strain with your family." Magnus said, at last. "You were very close when I met you."

"What am I supposed to do? Pretend like I hate you?" I sighed.

Magnus came over to put an arm around me comfortingly. They all wanted me to be angry with him, and maybe I should have been, but I just wasn't anymore. Pretending otherwise would be pointless.

I sunk into his side. Magnus was bigger than me and being held by him felt warm and safe in the best way.

"They don't even know you..." I muttered.

Okay, so they'd been lied to, too. It wasn't my Parents' fault Magnus had introduced himself under a guise. But they were dismissing him without a chance of redemption now, which I didn't think was fair.

My Father had lied to us for as long as I'd been alive. Everybody was trying to forgive him, because we had love for him in spite of that. Magnus had lied to us for a very short time; and I loved him immensely. He deserved another chance as well.

While I was thinking to myself, Magnus kissed my forehead. I tilted my head to plant another on his jawline. He smiled down at me and for a second nothing else existed or mattered.

I cuddled closer and soaked in the fact that I was content for the moment. You had to take those moments as they came.

"I want you to meet them. Meet them again." I said. My fingers stroked through Chairman Meow's fur slowly while I awaited a reaction.

Magnus seemed to stiffen. Only slightly. He was probably just surprised.

"Do you think that's a good idea?" He asked. "It may not be a good time."

"It will never be a good time." I told him honestly. They had to forgive him to be ready to meet him; and meet him to be ready to forgive him. If we never broke that circle ourselves, we'd be at a standstill. So I was determined. "We have to _make it_ a good time."

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**Hope that you guys liked the chapter, thank you for reading it! "Integrating" is coming up next.**


	47. Integration

I consented to let Isabelle chose my whole outfit for a visit to Pandemonium. I accepted the fact the jeans were tight and the belts were unnecessary and the top came into a low v shape I was not at all comfortable with. I even let her style my hair. She was completely gleeful.

Until we got there and she realised there had to be a reason I'd met all her demands without complaining.

"What's going on?" She asked with caution. I hopped out of the cab without saying anything and she followed me with furrowed brows. "Alec?"

Outside of the club Jace stood with his arms around Clary to keep her warm. Girls never wore coats or anything comfortable when they went out, even sensible girls like Clary. Tonight her dress was little and black and nothing like the rest of her closet. I took one look at Simon and wondered if Isabelle had gone around styling the whole group that night.

Jace was smirking as we drew closer. It was a knowing smirk. A she's-going-to-kill-you-smirk. I sent him a look to make him cut it out. Simon seemed uneasy. Clary was too busy shivering to look anything other than cold; so we got inside without much more ado. The presence of Izzy's mysterious VIP card always did wonders for avoiding lines.

"Maia and Kyle went in already to grab a table." Jace explained. Maia's DJ friend was playing that night and they would have been let in the back way.

"And Clary didn't go with them?" I asked. It seemed like that would be the logical thing to do when she was turning into an icicle outside.

"I wanted her to see." Jace grinned. I gave him a cutting glare as we weaved around the edge of the dance floor, towards the railings.

"See what?" Isabelle asked from the top of the stairs. The girl had the ears of a bat, to have heard us over the pounding beat.

She looked down at us all doubtfully. Simon took the steps two at a time to stand beside her. I was half way up when I noticed she'd stopped dead. Her face had that deer-in-headlights look, which she pulled off well with her round, dark eyes.

"What is _he_ doing here?" She growled.

Just as I'd known he would be, Magnus had taken his place at the table with our other friends. The makeup had returned and he was dressed to the nines, which made him look about ten years younger in this light. Ten years younger than he was, however, was still ten years older than most of the patrons of Pandemonium. He pulled it off by the skin of his teeth by pure confidence alone. The trick to being accepted anywhere, apparently, was to act like you belonged there.

Magnus slid out of his seat and strode over to us like he owned the building we stood in.

"Isabelle, you look delightful." He greeted charmingly. She actually looked like a walking ad for HotTopic but I digress. Jace cackled when he saw the look on her face.

"Best reaction of the year!" He grinned between laughs.

Jace was making it seem like he'd been in on it the whole time; although in truth only Kyle had been told in advance that Magnus would be coming. Kyle was the one who got Magnus in. If he'd been waiting outside with our other friends, we would never have gotten Izzy to go in too.

"Jace." Magnus nodded in acknowledgement. Last time he met Jace, it had been the day we broke up. Jace had gone to pick up my car and ended up punching him in the face. Thankfully neither of them seemed all that strained by the event. "And you must be Clary?"

"Uh, yeah. Hi." She said, sending an anxious look to see how Isabelle was reacting. Our smaller friend shuffled on the spot, unsure of what stance to take. I could see her trying hard to stay neutral.

My sister was clearly seething.

Magnus' gaze didn't light on me until he'd spoken to everybody in the rest of the group. Which was a clever move on his part; showing right off the bat that we weren't 'that' antisocial couple. You know the type. The pair you don't want to take on a group outing because they'll spend the time joined together ignoring everybody else.

I glanced over to the table where Maia and Kyle were engaging in a highly charged lip-lock. Grossed out, I flipped my attention back pretty quickly.

"And you, Darling, look exceptional." Magnus purred. He touched the tips of his fingers deftly to the exposed part of my chest. Izzy cleared her throat and he dropped his hand swiftly. "Is Isabelle responsible for this? You should let her rearrange your closet."

"Damn right he should." Isabelle agreed, grabbed my arm and swerved me away from Magnus and towards the table.

I had no desire to approach my roommate and his girl at that particular moment - they obviously didn't want an interruption. But our presence didn't put the two of them off in the slightest, anyway.

"I can't believe you brought _him_ here." My sister complained. There was already a round of drinks on the table and she was pretty quick to pick one up without checking who'd purchased them. I sure hoped it was Magnus, just for the irony of it.

"You're here with your boyfriend." I pointed out frankly. I gestured to the couple currently eating each other's faces beside us. "You all have your partners here."

Okay, so Isabelle would - and did - argue that we were there as friends first and couples second. And Magnus wasn't a friend.

"Bullshit." I snapped. "You think if you broke up with Simon he'd still be coming out with us? No offence, Simon." I threw in. I didn't want to leave him with the impression that I didn't want to talk to him. He was a nice guy; I liked him being with my little sister. "This is just an example."

"And in this example you wouldn't speak to somebody who'd _hurt me_." Izzy reminded me.

Then we were waiting, it seemed, for Magnus to say something. He didn't rush himself. Magnus raised an eyebrow, finished his gulp at a regular pace and collectedly set his glass down. Only after he'd taken a natural, calm breath did he say anything.

"Your point is perfectly valid." He said.

"You aren't good enough for Alec. At all." Isabelle stated, pushing right past me. Her face was stony and serious. Her posture was all attitude. I very nearly stepped in to tell her to shut it and be civil. "I think you're going to hurt him. If you don't prove me wrong, I'll kill you."

"_Izzy_..." I hissed at her.

"I would expect nothing less." Magnus sounded completely unruffled by any of my sister's comments. What was impressive was that a grown man like him didn't find the threats of a teenage girl laugh-worthy. I definitely appreciated that he gave her the seriousness she wanted. "Neither of us wants to see Alexander hurt, I assure you."

My sister moved to turn her attention away again, having said her piece. When Magnus held her forearm to keep her from leaving, you could see Jace's eyes bug out of his head, and Clary's mouth forming a perfect 'o' of surprise and anticipation of the worst.

"However-" Magnus said, his voice was firm as any adults' could be, but not threatening. "I expect you to keep in mind that when _you_ try to make him choose, _I_ am not the one hurting him."

At that Isabelle honestly was stunned. I think we were _all_ stunned. Even Maia and Kyle weren't wrapped up in each other anymore.

To tell the truth, I'd never thought of phrasing it the way Magnus had. Never had I dreamed of blaming my little sister for causing me any pain. Though I had been annoyed with her, I always blamed Magnus and me as being the cause. We upset Izzy, we got her attitude because of it.

Part of me was about to tell Magnus off for chastising her. Part of me wanted to tell him that wasn't his place. The other part of me knew that he was right. It had just taken an egocentric mind like his to think selfishly enough to see it.

As with most things, knowing didn't bring me any joy. Izzy looked crushed and I went straight to her. Magnus had already let her go, and I wrapped my arms around her. She hugged me back tightly.

"Did I really hurt you?" She whispered. Her voice croaky. I was glad I couldn't see her face.

The big brother in me wanted to tell her 'no', just to make her feel better. But I didn't want to discredit what Magnus had said, either.

"It's too loud to talk in here." Is what I said instead. "We'll talk later."

Isabelle read me loud and clear. She pulled back and looked me in the eyes with the most understanding smile I'd seen in a very long time. Then she drew a shaky breath and turned away.

At first I panicked, thinking that she would bolt. Instead she grabbed Simon and dragged him to the dance floor, about to get lost in a buzz rather than think so seriously. All of our other friends followed suit, leaving just Magnus and I, exchanging glances.

"That could have gone better." I muttered as Magnus snaked an arm around my shoulders.

"And it could have gone worse." Magnus reminded me.

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**I always have to keep my fingers crossed for chapters like this. Thank you for reading, I hope you liked the chapter. "Magnus' Friends" should coming up soon.**


	48. Magnus' Friends

"I'm going to warn you, before you come in." Magnus said, sounding very serious. He was holding the door so I could only see him through a small gap. None of the apartment was visible. "So that you don't freak out."

"Warn me of what?" I asked carefully. Judging by my boyfriend's face I wouldn't like the answer. When somebody tells you not to freak, it's all you want to do.

"I'm in the middle of a fitting." Magnus said in a voice that implied he felt like a lamb to the slaughter.

"A fitting?" I asked, confused.

Magnus put on a very patient face. "As in, there are people in here in varying states of undress."

I blinked.

"Do not freak out." Magnus repeated.

I was about to say something - mind you, I didn't know what that something was - when I heard the ring of a very familiar voice. That instantly recognisable foreign lilt. Then the door was pulled wide open and I was greeted with the sight of Camille Belcourt in nothing but white lace underwear.

I had no idea where to look.

I didn't need to spend long trying to figure it out before she hugged me. This is as much contact as I have ever had, or ever want to have, with a semi-naked woman.

"Alexander, it has been too long!" She exclaimed.

Camille's arms were currently wrapped around my neck. She was small and petit, and basically hung in the air dangling from me. I hadn't a clue what to do with my hands and looked at Magnus helplessly.

Then I saw the rest of his company.

"This is Alec?" Asked an excited woman with hair which was pure white. She was wearing a lace dress which I thought was one-sleeved at first. Then I realised that one of her arms was covered in intricate blue tattoos in pretty lattice shapes which seemed to match the fabric. She leaned forward, trying to get a better look at me, but was being held in place from behind. A man I quickly recognised as Woolsey Scott – anybody who didn't live in a cave would have recognised him – was holding the dress together from the back and seemed annoyed that she was moving around so much.

"Caterina, I will drop this." He threatened. The woman - 'Caterina' - let out a little shriek and held the bosom of the dress in place so that it wouldn't fall down.

"Oh, don't fuss." Camille chided. I only realised then that she'd let me go. I straightened up. "Alexander doesn't care a bit what's under there."

"He isn't the only one." Woolsey Scott declared, letting go of the dress and coming towards us. He was more dressed than the girls but his shirt was completely unbuttoned. Scratch that - the shirt had no buttons yet.

Magnus shot me a 'sorry' look before darting off to make whatever adjustment he had been making to Caterina's outfit. I had to look away while he was sticking pins in. Magnus was a professional, I knew that he wasn't being as careless as he looked, but I still worried he might poke her with one like she was a voodoo doll.

Camille was flouncing off back to the living space where, thankfully, she seemed to have something to put on. Magnus had been right to block my view of the apartment. If I'd seen any of this before he explained the situation, I would have drawn an upsetting conclusion. As it was, the atmosphere in the room wasn't even remotely sexual.

For the most part.

Woolsey Scott circled behind me and paused there.

"Very nice." He said. I whirled around to face him, slightly mortified, and he slammed the door shut. The man was completely, unapologetically checking me out. When I spun so he couldn't see my rear, he still focused down south.

"Do you _mind_?" I quipped. You never expect to tell a celebrity to back off until you have to.

Woolsey Scott just looked amused.

"I like this one, Bane!" He called as he headed in to re-join the others.

"Hands off, Scott!" Magnus replied in a mimicking tone. He sent me another apology glance and softened his voice when he spoke to me. "Is he bothering you, Sweetpea?"

"Wait until he meets Ragnor." Caterina giggled. Of course, I didn't know who she was talking about, but Magnus did.

"Ragnor won't try to sexually harass him." Magnus pointed out.

Then Magnus gave his friend permission to step out of the dress. To my immense relief, she put on a robe before doing so.

"Caterina Loss." She introduced herself and held out a hand for me to shake – the one with the tattoos.

"Cat sings for a band." Camille filled me in. Horrifyingly enough, she'd only replaced her jeans and her chest and bra were still very much displayed. She didn't appear to notice. In fact nobody seemed to notice; though Woolsey Scott looked so profoundly disinterested that he must have. You couldn't so _obviously_ ignore something you hadn't seen.

"Don't feel bad for not knowing who she is. Nobody does." Woolsey Scott grinned when he caught me looking his way. He had perfect rows of sharp-looking white teeth. When he turned towards me I noticed the trail of hair from his bellybutton downwards which suggested he was a natural blonde.

Caterina only looked mildly ticked off.

"We haven't cracked the US yet." She told me somewhat sullenly. So I assumed that her band did well in elsewhere. Europe, maybe? I wondered if Magnus had any friends at all who _weren't_ European, in spite of living in the US for so long.

Magnus smiled. An encouraging, friendly smile assuring Caterina that she'd make it soon enough. The kind of tolerant look my group would give to Simon every time one of his gigs bombed.

It dawned on me then that I was in a room for the first time with Magnus' friends. Obviously I'd known that from the moment I walked in, but the thought had taken a while to settle.

I wanted to ask them all about how they came to know each other. There were bound to be some good stories there. However, I didn't want to pry right away. Usually when Magnus told me about his history I learned more than I bargained for.

Considering I knew for a _fact_ Magnus and Woolsey Scott had slept together, I may not have been up for that story. The actor gave me the impression he'd want to go into all the gory details of it. I was far more secure pretending that it never happened.

Magnus dressed one of his mannequins in the blue dress Caterina had been wearing. Beside that was a red dress worthy of a Vampire Queen - which was probably going to be Camille's costume this year - and next to that was a male model clad in a very well-tailored suit. Minus the shirt.

"Woolsey, I told you to take that off." Magnus complained, exasperated. "Sometimes I think you were sent to test me."

"I did test you." His friend smirked back as he allowed the button-less shirt to fall down from his shoulders. He dropped a wink my way. "Grade A stuff, there, am I right?"

Okay. That was uncomfortable. So much for pretending it never happened. Magnus looked embarrassed to the _n_th degree.

Lucky for him, I was friends with Jace. I was used to people trying to set me up with sticky situations and knew that Woolsey Scott was using similar tactics.

"I can't say I have anything to compare to... Are you demonstrating Grade B?" I asked. Of course, the guy was stunning, and I would never have said such a thing under less-weird circumstances. It seemed appropriate at the time, though.

Magnus looked glad and pat me on the back. "That was impressive, for you."

"Well played." Woolsey (I figured mock-insulting him had put us on first name terms) admitted. He hung his shirt up over the edge of a seat and threw Camille's top at her.

My original plan for that evening had been to talk to Magnus about the night at Pandemonium. I'd spent the morning talking to Isabelle and wanted to confer with Magnus about where we stood with her now.

However, it was rude to just walk in and pretend Magnus didn't have any guests, so I settled down for an… interesting… evening of getting to know the people in his life.

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**I hope you liked the chapter, there's lots going on at the moment and I wanted to put in something light so there you go. The next chapter "Desert Dry"* won't be long.**

_***I always worry I've typed 'Dessert' by accident there!**_

**Thank you for reading and for your reviews.**


	49. Desert Dry

Magnus' friends all filtered out at varying times. Woolsey had been the last to go; not before promising me that should I ever change my mind about having a third party involved, he would most definitely respond.

I rolled my eyes after Magnus shut the door. "Third party? I hardly know what it's like with two!"

"Take it as a compliment." Magnus recommended. He planted a world-melting kiss on me and my hands gripped his arms for support. "He's jealous that only one person gets to have you."

It was funny to think that - all going well - only one person ever would. That sort of thing was fairly rare these days. I kissed Magnus again. He reciprocated and didn't stop until my lungs protested and I had to pull out.

One deep look into his bright eyes - now half-lidded and clouding over - and I knew exactly where Magnus was hoping the evening would go.

All of a sudden, completely unexpectedly, nerves and panic bubbled up inside me. I had to unlatch myself from Magnus' body and scurry off to sit on the couch before I'd let him kiss me again. Magnus' face said what I was thinking.

_What the hell was that about?_

I smiled awkwardly towards Magnus who grinned slyly and slinked his way over. I bit my lip when he sat down beside me. His warm hand held my face carefully and he kissed me on the side of the neck...

And I got up.

"Okay." Magnus sounded husky. He brushed a hand through his hair, trying to shake off my apparent rejection. "Hint taken."

I could tell that Magnus wanted to say more. Angel bless him that he didn't want to pressure me by saying whatever he was thinking. Most likely something along the lines of 'Do you ever plan on sleeping with me again?'

I didn't mean to be withholding. In fact I didn't even _want_ to be anymore. I was still young and in my teens and I'd gone through my teenage life pretty chaste. I had _needs_, too.

For somebody like Magnus it must have been like being a shopaholic in the mall with no money or credit.

"Last time we..." I said. "It didn't end well."

That was the only explanation I could come up with for why I wasn't just letting Magnus have his way with me. I had pretty fond, rousing memories of our first time together - memories that had a nasty habit of cropping up in the middle of the night when I was alone in my room - but they ultimately ended in me driving home in tears.

Magnus looked completely sympathetic, if not a little put-out.

"Nothing like that will ever happen again." He promised.

Well, I certainly hoped he didn't have a second wife ready to jump in and interrupt us. It would have had to have been a real stretch for that to be a repeat occurrence.

The issue wasn't the event itself - not that the event wasn't _an_ issue, it just wasn't _the_ issue at present. The problem was that I was associating giving myself completely with an equally complete loss of trust.

"But, hey, I can wait." Magnus managed to say, even as he crossed his legs to keep me from seeing evidence that his body thought differently. "It's only sex."

"Isn't you saying those words a sign that hell has frozen over?" I joked.

I hoped to lighten the mood. Just because Magnus was trying to be understanding didn't make it any fun getting... You know... 'Blocked'.

"Let it freeze. I don't owe the Devil any favours." He smiled and my guilt compounded.

Hadn't Magnus spent his day watching his hot exes walk around part-nude, knowing they were off-limits? And here I turn up, still off-limits to him. How long had it been, anyway? Taking Magnus word that he hadn't gotten any since we broke up... Around five months.

Wow. We were approaching half a year. I didn't know if that was a long or short time, all things considered. I guess that would depend on who you asked.

I looked around awkwardly, trying to think of a solution to our dry-spell problem which didn't involve me dropping all my guards. Including the physical fabric ones keeping me covered up. But that just lead to me thinking about the things we could have been doing. Which lead to me realising that I really had to get home, take a cold shower and get myself into bed. As much as I hated to just up and leave.

Magnus walked me down to my car, saying that it was pretty dark out there. I'd been out alone later than this in his neighbourhood but I think he wanted to make sure we parted on nicer terms. So it didn't feel like I was running away right after he came on to me.

I kind of was, but that was neither here nor there.

"Oh!" I remembered right as I opened the door on the driver's side. "How busy are you tomorrow? Around six?"

"Not too busy to see you." Magnus' smile was charming as ever. He did, however, cast a look back towards the apartment where his mannequins were.

"How about to help me paint a fence?" I asked uncertainly. I knew that his deadline was tight, and although the three things I'd seen him working on might not have much more to do, I didn't know how many other projects Magnus had on the go.

"You have a fence?" Magnus seemed confused, knowing I lived on the third floor of my building in a room with no windows, much less a garden. Maybe Kyle had a little fence in his room to make his plants look nice.

"My Mother does." I explained.

Magnus got it then. "So, you're really asking me to re-meet your Mother?"

"Also my Father may-or-may-not turn up." I added as an afterthought. His visits seemed random at best; but picking up in frequency.

Magnus seemed to mull all my information over. He drummed his fingers on the hood of the car in the rhythm of a song I didn't know the lyrics to. I think I'd heard it playing in the background in stores who had radio on their speakers. So it must have been new and was probably pop music.

"How does Isabelle feel about me, lately?" Magnus asked, still considering.

I was glad he asked. That was the reason I came, after all. At last we were on the same page. Now if only I didn't have to get going now that the topic had been raised.

The truth was that Isabelle hadn't said an awful lot about Magnus at all. Which was better than complaining about him, but still not great. Normal for Isabelle was gossip-seeking, having fun with it. What we were currently experiencing was a stage of acceptance. No more, no less.

Of course she wasn't happy that Magnus had basically scolded her.

"She'll be fine as long as you don't tell her off." I said, in a warning tone so he knew that what he'd said to her in Pandemonium had nearly overstepped the boundaries, even if it did work out okay.

Magnus took in what I said with a thoughtful expression.

"Sure." He said, eventually. "I'd love to come help you out."

We kissed goodbye and I left knowing the next day was going to be an experience; if nothing else.

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**Another chapter up! Since the last post this story passed 150 alerts, and I got really excited about that, so thank you to everybody who is reading this. I'm doing my best to keep the updates coming. "Being Friendly" will be coming up next, and I hope you've enjoyed so far.**


	50. Being Friendly

Zach hugged me when I got in to work. It wasn't one of those 'guy hugs' - which were more like pats on the back, really - he did it like it was something he did every day, and he did it out in the open. Right beside the front desk.

"Good morning Alec." He smiled. Then he got back to looking over some paperwork.

Imasu gave me a surprised look when he was sure Zach wasn't looking. If a look could convey _'I don't know what the hell that was all about'_ then I hoped the face I used to respond did.

Maybe we had something to celebrate that day. Maybe the powers that be were publishing one of Zach's papers or something. Maybe he'd been hugging everybody.

"You seem in a good mood." I said.

"Always happy to see you, Alec." He replied.

Or, you know, he could just be coming on to me.

Imasu seemed to pick up on my discomfort and swivelled in his chair to face us when he was done giving information to an elderly couple.

"Yeah, sure is nice to work with friends, isn't it?" Said Imasu helpfully.

Surprise, surprise: Zach wasn't expecting the desk clerk's input. It only took a second for him to go from blank to smiling again, though. Sometimes it seemed like nothing could phase that man out of his constant stream of contentedness.

"That it is." Zach agreed, putting the final full-stop on his paper and handing it across the desk. Then he turned his attention back to me. "Shall we get to the office, then?"

* * *

Magnus was laughing so hard on the drive to my Mother's. He'd offered to take the wheel and I was beginning to regret letting him. I wasn't so sure he was giving the road enough attention.

"Ooh, a hug?" He chuckled sarcastically. "Maybe we should _report_ him!"

I glared his way. "Magnus, it isn't funny."

"A hug isn't a big deal, sweetheart." My boyfriend insisted. "Friends hug."

"He didn't hug _Imasu_." I pointed out.

The thing about Magnus was that to him, nothing seemed like a big deal. He was so used to open relationships that nothing really phased him. On the one hand, I'd never have to worry about Magnus getting jealous. The downside was that even if Zach bent me over his desk, Magnus probably wouldn't think it was a 'big deal'.

"Have you considered telling him about me? That might put him off." Magnus suggested, looking around and pulling into my Mother's driveway.

I'd thought about this, obviously. Telling him I was in a relationship would almost certainly make Zach back off. But when is a good time to do that? Blurting out 'I have a boyfriend!' Next time he touched me just seemed like a completely freakish thing to do.

I needed to have more tact than that. In fact, what I needed was for him to actually ask me out or something. Then I could just say no and explain without it being weird-

"Oh, shit!" I gasped as I shut the car door.

Magnus looked startled and worried. "Did you slam it on your fingers?"

"What?" I looked at my hand in confusion and then remembered that Magnus couldn't hear what I was thinking about. "Oh. No. I'm fine."

Zach _had_ asked me out, hadn't he? Suddenly I had a bad feeling the upcoming Halloween party wasn't going to be the group outing I'd thought I was agreeing to at the time. I wracked my brain, trying to remember if Zach had mentioned Imasu or if I'd just assumed.

Well, that would be why Zach thought he had a green light.

With this new revelation in mind I led the way up the porch, which was still looking good, and knocked. Magnus looked my hand over while we waited. When Max opened the door he was still holding it. So of course that was what my brother immediately honed in on.

"Hey Alec...?" He greeted. Then he looked Magnus up and down. "Why'd you bring your Tutor with you?"

"Nice to see you again, Max." Magnus smiled and dropped my hand so that he could shake my little brother's.

Max's brows knit together. "I don't need help with History."

Me and Magnus laughed. I asked Max if we could come in and get the paint and we followed him to the basement.

Church the cat, who was usually remarkably absent unless there was food to be found, was sleeping on the stairs. I thought he'd run away or something. Magnus loved cats and thought it would be a good idea to stroke the grumpy feline. It was not.

"You want a plaster?" Max asked while Magnus sucked on the blood coming out of his finger.

"That would be great, thanks." I replied. Seems as my boyfriend's mouth was otherwise occupied. Max went back into the kitchen where we kept the first aid kit. Church followed him. "Yeah, our cat is kind of a dick."

We got three buckets of paint up the stairs together, one in Magnus' free hand and one in each of mine. By the time we got up there Max had found the kit, so I went down to get the paintbrushes while Magnus sorted himself out.

When I got back up Max seemed enlightened. And a little weirded out.

"Magnus is your boyfriend?" He asked. I waited for more; because there was always more. "He's really old!"

As reactions to my relationship to Magnus went, Max's was a good one. Maybe not as funny as when I told Jace the guy was thirty and he face-planted the floor, but it still left me laughing. Magnus looks a little offended. The more I laughed the more irritation he showed. Which made me laugh more.

"He's not _that_ old, Max." I said between chuckles. "Why don't you go put something old on and help us with the fence?"

* * *

The house I grew up in had a huge yard. Plenty of room for running around, and blow up pools and barbeque parties. You could set up home fireworks at one end and be a safe distance away at the other. It was a real family place.

Painting the fence around it took a good while, even with the three of us working on it. Especially the way we were doing it, with breaks for the occasional flicked-paint fight. I was covered again; but I'd remembered to bring spare clothes this time. I'd given Magnus a heads-up to do the same and he was hoping to get himself cleaned up before my Mother arrived.

That didn't happen.

Mother had been expecting me. We'd arranged the date I was coming out the last time I was there. However, she hadn't known Magnus would be there, and the shock on her face was evident.

"Welcome home!" Max called from the very end of the yard. He waved his brush in the air and white paint fell in a glob onto his head. He shook it like a wet dog would and Magnus got a spraying.

"Nice to see you again, Maryse!" Magnus called.

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**I can't believe we've actually reached fifty chapters and the story isn't even done yet. Thanks so much for reading it. The next chapter "Flawed Technique" will be posted soon.**

**I got so annoyed yesterday because something went wrong and I lost the chapter I was writing (a few ahead from this). I never feel like I've re-written right when that happens, but I'm trying to power through it!**


	51. Flawed Technique

Magnus was making tea and coffee in my Mother's kitchen. He already knew some of the layout from his 'undercover' visits, so he didn't need to do any awkward searching for where we kept stuff. That left my Mother without a task, so she decided to clean the already-spotless counter top.

I offered to do it for her but she insisted on it. I'd since sat down and let her keep her hands busy while she assessed the situation. A short time later Magnus was setting a mug down in front of her; tea made the way she liked it. He'd remembered that from before. Mother seemed a little startled that he'd gotten it right without asking her about it.

She said thank you and wrapped her hands around the mug. At that point we found ourselves in silence. Then Isabelle darted in.

"Father's here." She said. Her eyes landed on Magnus for only a second before she did a double-take. "And so are you. Hi."

"Hello Izzy." Magnus smiled. He didn't let it show that there had never been a bad word said between them. I didn't know how Isabelle would take that, they hadn't seen each other since Pandemonium and she had been ignoring Magnus' existence during those days.

Izzy managed a smile back at him, just barely. Better than storming out, I guess.

"I'll go warn Robert before he comes in." Mother announced with something of a sigh as she headed for the front door.

When Mother was gone Magnus asked how my Father took his coffee. I shook my head and got up to do it myself. Isabelle was quick enough to steal my seat.

"You didn't warn them either." She observed with a frown to the both of us. "You two suck at this."

"We do need to work on our surprise tactic, Darling." Magnus agreed. "I don't think that buying drinks and painting fences is helping all that much."

I sighed and drummed my fingers on the counter. Finding flaws now wasn't going to help us at all. It was too late for Magnus to jump out the window or something.

"I think we're past the point of no return, guys." I said.

Right on cue, the parents re-entered the room. I put my Father's coffee down and indicated that he should take it. He was already too busy trying to stare Magnus down; before he'd even said his hellos to me or Izzy, or gone to find Max.

"Robert Lightwood? Pleased to meet you." Magnus greeted calmly. I was starting to think nothing ever flustered him. Even when he held out his hand for a handshake and all my Father did was stare at it coldly, Magnus didn't flinch. "Is there a problem?"

"You used my son for an affair." Said Father, one step short of through gritted teeth.

Magnus looked surprised. "Let's not be hypocrites, here. People in glass houses, and all that."

Father looked towards Mother with an indignant expression. If he was waiting for her to jump in and defend him, then he was going to die waiting. Mother only shrugged and went to gather ingredients in the fridge.

Izzy's mouth pressed into a thin line where she was trying to keep from giggling. Father was not impressed. I was holding my breath just waiting to see how that little comment would play out. If springing meetings on my loved ones was a bad idea in the first place, then I wasn't sure I could say much for Magnus' terrible habit for speaking his mind at the worst of times.

"Will you be joining us for dinner, Magnus?" Mother asked brightly. Seeing the way he'd handled her ex-husband seemed to make her instantly warm up to him. Surprising.

"Would I not be imposing?" Magnus questioned politely when he finished a sip of coffee. He made more effort to finish his drink quickly for my Mother than he had for Isabelle. Maybe he considered there to be more riding on pleasing my parents than my siblings.

My Mother flat-out insisted that Magnus join us that evening. What I hadn't expected was for him to fit so seamlessly into a family setting without a cover-story to hide behind.

Magnus could discuss all manner of things with my sister, who he shared a lot of interests with. I'd already known that. When it came to my Parents he knew just enough on those boring topics like politics and finance and fine wine to please them - as much as my Father _could_ be pleased, anyway. He still wasn't all that impressed.

Max was, though. Magnus even remembered to take a fair interest in his talk about Teachers and friends at school. I realised it was a complete waste that my boyfriend hadn't written a book on charming others. 'Social Recoveries for Seemingly Hopeless Situations'. He clearly had a talent.

Part of the skill seemed to be in avoiding the name 'Camille'. I'd failed in that regard at our last family meal; but keeping his ex-wife out of the conversation - which sometimes involved some clever manoeuvring, because my parent's asked very leading questions - was doing wonders for Magnus' credibility.

It was as if Camille didn't even exist to him. My family seemed to like that illusion.

...It _was_ pretty nice.

When the mood was suitably relaxed Magnus became brave enough to twine his fingers with mine in plain sight on top of the table. At this point the plates were empty and we were talking over drinks. Soft drinks for Izzy and Max.

"Are you alright, Darling? You're being very quiet." Magnus asked in hushed tones, leaning closer to me as he spoke. It wasn't so much secretive as it was intimate. He really _was_ brave.

"You look dazed, dear. Drink something sobering." My Mother advised with typical parental concern. I hadn't drank much, about half a glass of something that tasted of bitter fruit.

I smiled at them both. "Sorry, just thinking."

"I know what I'm thinking." Izzy interrupted with a grin of her own. "Dessert!"

* * *

Magnus had to travel in the passenger seat on the way back because he'd had more to drink than I had. I'd stuck to the one glass - on a full stomach - a good hour before we left, so I wasn't worried about getting a DUI or anything. Magnus wasn't falling over himself or anything, that would have been a train wreck in the making, but he wasn't in any condition to be behind the wheel.

"I can't believe how well that went!" I beamed. No matter how many times I played the evening over in my head, I couldn't find much to worry about. Four out of five Lightwoods smiling was a good result. My Father didn't smile much anyway.

"Your Father holds me in contempt." Magnus needlessly reminded me.

"He doesn't much like anybody." I told him. The man was well known for general misery. "Trust me, that was great."

"I did what I could." Magnus sighed in response. He didn't seem to share my good faith despite the confidence he'd shown in front of my family.

"_You_ did great." I encouraged as I pulled out of the driveway. I wasn't used to Magnus' car, nor was I insured on it, and it was far more expensive than mine. Needless to say I was being very careful. "Tonight was great."

I desperately needed to learn more descriptive words.

"If it made you happy then it was worth it, Alexander." Magnus yawned. "You know how I want to make you happy."

I did. No matter what had happened in our past; I knew what I had now. The broken parts of my life were healing. The shaky ground I'd stood on was beginning to feel stable. And it wasn't so hard to smile when it all seemed to be coming together.

* * *

**I hope you liked the chapter! As per usual, a big thank you to everybody reading. Another chapter will come soon: "Last Minute Adjustments".**


	52. Last Minute Adjustments

Imasu wouldn't let me go to the office that morning. He knew there was a story to be heard and I wasn't going anywhere until I told him what was going on with the Doctor.

"It's like he's fixated on you." Today Imasu was wise enough to hush his voice. "And usually I wouldn't judge, or anything, but I thought you were dating Magnus Bane?"

"I am." I told him. "Well, I wasn't, but now I am."

Imasu's face showed nothing but his blatant disapproval. "You probably shouldn't keep leading Zach on, then."

I groaned and put my head in my hands. I guess Imasu had known Zach longer, so he was bound to try to see it from my Boss' point of view. But it just wasn't the case and he had to know that.

"Do you think that's what's going on here?" I asked. "I'm not trying to encourage him!"

"Didn't you accept his date offer?" Imasu frowned.

So Zach had told Imasu about it after all. He just hadn't invited the desk clerk to join us that evening. Who knows what Imasu had been thinking all this time? I must have seemed majorly withholding.

I thought about Magnus and how we were approaching the half-year abstinence mark. Okay, so I _was_ withholding. But that was beside the point.

"Not only was I technically _single_ when I did that," I informed Imasu, "I had no idea that was a date offer. I thought _you_ were coming!"

"Me?" Imasu pointed to himself and looked confused.

Suddenly I had a great idea.

"You _should_ come." I said. "If I invite you to come-with, Zach will know I didn't realise it's meant to be a date!"

"That would be a great plan if I didn't already know it _is_ a date." Imasu reminded me.

I rolled my eyes.

"Say I asked you what time we were all meeting and you didn't know what to do." To be fair, this excuse didn't need a whole lot of thinking. It quite possibly would have happened for real if I had never realised Zach's intentions.

Imasu seemed to catch on to what I was suggesting.

"'Sorry, Zach, I guess he misread you'?" He said.

"Exactly!" I grinned.

I couldn't help it, I'd been so worried about how I was going to explain myself to Zach and now the perfect method had fallen right into my lap. Even better, this way didn't make me come off like an asshole.

Imasu and I chatted a little longer and soon enough, Zach arrived to clock in.

"Morning you two." He smiled. He moved in to hug me again, but Imasu spoke, so I turned to face him.

"Alec was just asking me what I planned to wear to that Halloween party we're _all going to_." He said. Imasu was pretty good at this; putting on emphasis to give a strong hint to Zach which couldn't have been missed.

I, on the other hand, have never been much of an actor. And my excuse-making game is pretty weak. I plastered a smile on my face which I hoped would read as obliviousness, although in reality I probably just looked brain-dead.

Zach squinted at Imasu like he thought our clerk had gone insane. It took him as second or two to regain his composure when he saw what was going on.

The look he gave me was almost betrayed. It wasn't anywhere close to a real betrayal - when your boyfriend turns out to have a wife, for example - more like that horrible feeling you get when you think you know somebody and they throw you through a loop. You know; when they seem like great people until you find out they have some kind of majorly creepy hobby. You don't want to hold it against them but at the same time...

Well. The guy didn't spend a whole lot of time focused on me.

"It's a masquerade." He said, although he seemed to be specifically addressing Imasu. "Think less zombies and more mystery."

* * *

"Masquerade?" Magnus gasped. "You're going to a _masquerade_? And you didn't tell _me_?"

When I arrived at his place I had been ready to tell Magnus all about my day, as usual. I'd have a real story this time about what had happened with Imasu and how Zach had suddenly grown cold on me when he realised I didn't see the two of us the same way that he did.

"Um, no, I didn't tell you." I said. "But that's not the poi-"

"Always tell me! Immediately!" Magnus interrupted. Then he ran off into the spare room, leaving me to stand talking to the cat.

"Oh Chairman." I gushed, loudly enough for Magnus to hear in the other room where he was crashing about. "You're such a good listener!"

When Magnus did emerge, with a pout on his face which didn't suit him at all, he was holding an outfit in one of those black bags you put over hangers to keep clothes preserved. He walked back into the living space and began to lay the contents out on the couch.

"I'll have to adjust it..." Magnus mused, looking over the ensemble, which had been made to match a deep blue mask that would cover the eyes and one side of the face. It was quite lovely. "Undress."

I started to splutter. _That_ had been pretty damn abrupt. "Excuse me?"

"Undress so I can make adjustments." Magnus repeated. "Otherwise it won't look right."

Okay. That made a lot more sense. He could have explained that a bit better the first time he ordered me to take my clothes off. If there's one thing you can correctly assume it's that _I'm_ not likely to make a correct assumption.

"I thought you were asking-" Well, telling. "For an entirely different reason."

"And what a wonderful reason that would have been." Magnus smirked suggestively. "But unfortunately for both of us _somebody_ just sprung an emergency on me!"

Magnus threw his hands in the air and went to make sure his sewing equipment was ready for whatever it was he needed to do.

There was a 'workshop' table in the apartment now. On it was Magnus' sewing machine and a bunch of other supplies. Having it there didn't change the fact his every project ended up taking up most of the room, but when the things were packed away the place looked a lot neater.

"I hardly call this an emergency." I said. Sometimes I thought Magnus was overly invested in clothing and appearances. Then I remembered that was what he did for a living. How much was too much when your income depends on a keen interest, really?

I reluctantly removed my shirt and looked around the room awkwardly. As if anybody else was going to see me when only Magnus and Chairman Meow were the only ones there.

"What do I do? Just put it on?" I called over to where Magnus was. He called back an affirmative and I found myself carefully removing a shirt and vest from their hangars.

Realistically, I knew the clothes would hold up under normal treatment. It didn't feel right to treat Magnus' work so carelessly, though.

In all honesty wasn't so sure if the fitting was that important. I slipped on the subtly decorated suit jacket and it felt like any normal off-the-rack item would. Magnus, however, took one look and grabbed his pincushion.

When he got close enough to see around his couch he raised an eyebrow at my lower half. "You aren't done changing."

"Pants too?" I asked, looking down at myself. Well damn it. I should have just done that while Magnus had been too busy to look. "Could you turn around?"

"You're embarrassed? Darling, I've seen you completely naked." Magnus sighed and undid my button.

I took a step away to do it for myself. If Magnus was going to get into my personal space like that then there was going to be a certain problem preventing him from fitting anything below the waist properly.

"That was different." I muttered.

Three awkward undressing's later - by which point I was sure Magnus had nothing left to adjust and just wanted to get me in my underwear again - Magnus was satisfied with the fit. I looked myself over in the mirror and it crossed my mind that the clothes I wore must have been made for a reason. Another person who'd probably paid handsomely, too.

"What about the commissioner?" I asked with a sudden awful feeling.

"Woolsey, last year." Magnus assured me. "I know more than a few people who never wear the same thing twice. Those things tend to end up back here."

I looked at myself again, with the knowledge that the last person to wear these things was universally recognised for his attractiveness.

_I _was known for screwing random married men.

I don't have a huge ego, but that was certainly a blow to it. At least until Magnus wrapped his arms around my waist. I could see him smile in the mirror right before he buried his face and kissed my neck.

"It looks infinitely better on you, Darling."

He was a liar, but at that point I just didn't mind.

* * *

**Thanks for reading the chapter, the next one - "How Late Is Too Late?" - will be coming soon!**


	53. How Late Is Too Late?

Isabelle was going absolutely insane, tearing through her closet like her life depended on it. Halloween was tomorrow and she hadn't selected an outfit yet.

"It's official! I have nothing to wear." She announced.

I looked at the clothes littering the entire room. Somehow I sincerely doubted that.

What I thought didn't matter, obviously. What Isabelle had meant by 'nothing' was nothing brand new. Which was Izzy-talk for 'I need you to take me shopping'.

"You want me to drive you to the Mall?" I asked, although I knew the answer already.

"That's a great idea!" Izzy grinned. "I'll grab my purse."

* * *

My sister wasn't looking for a full-fledged costume to wear; that was a plus. This close to Halloween most things were sold out or at least low on stock. We would have had no chance to find something which met Izzy's standards.

Unfortunately, nothing in an ordinary clothes shop seemed to be doing it for her either.

Isabelle was in a changing cubical trying on what was probably the tenth outfit we'd found. I could hear her snapping pictures of herself to send to Clary because she didn't trust my opinion on fashion. Every now and then she'd come twirl for me, but no matter what I said she ultimately stalked back behind the curtain.

Eventually I got bored and called Magnus.

"I'm starting to think your idea to 'prepare early' for Halloween wasn't so crazy." I sighed, keeping an eye on Izzy's cubical.

Izzy poked her head out then changed her mind about showing me and retreated.

"Wonderful!" Said Magnus happily. Magnus loved to be agreed with. "What changed your mind?"

I waited a moment or two when I saw the curtain move, but Izzy didn't make an appearance. I lowered my voice so that she wouldn't hear me talk about her.

"My sister left it late and now she's losing her mind about not having a costume." I muttered.

The curtain shot open and Izzy stood in yet another dress. Long and black with a slit in the leg which went the tiniest bit too high. I put my hand over the receiver.

"I'm not so sure, Iz." I told her.

Isabelle glanced back at herself in the mirror.

"Because everybody will be wearing black, right?" She asked, doing another turn.

Yup. The slit was too high. But I knew I was better off agreeing with whatever reason Izzy had thought up herself.

"Yeah, you don't want to look the same as everybody else." I said. Izzy nodded and went back to dressing.

I put the phone back to my ear and apologised for the interruption.

"Any chance you can drag her to Brooklyn?" Magnus asked.

I knew exactly what he had in mind after having him go all tailor on me the night before. He had a whole hoard of once-worn creations on racks in his spare room.

Looking through Magnus' collection seemed like a great idea on the surface; until you took into account that he would inevitably want to put some effort into refitting the clothes, which might not hold up so well at a Pandemonium party.

"Magnus, you don't have to-"

My boyfriend made a point of cutting me off.

"Just bring her." He said, then abruptly hung up on me.

"Isabelle!" I called towards the curtain. "New plan!"

* * *

My sister looked thoroughly disgusted with Magnus' building. You had to go there a couple times before you were used to the utter grime which caked the corridors. I seriously couldn't tell you how Magnus convinced Camille to walk up there. The two possibilities I usually went with were that he carried her, or that he rolled out a red carpet.

Izzy was giving a dialogue about how she couldn't believe I went fussing with paint jobs at our Mother's place when this building was in such a state. My counter was that I wasn't going near the cobwebs here in a million years. Then she started walking her fingers up my back as if there was a spider there. I shuddered and told her to quit it.

I knocked on the door and entered the apartment at the same time - as Magnus in his laziness had permitted me to do.

"Magnus? We're here!" I called, holding the door open for Izzy to walk in.

She seemed absolutely awed by the interior; clearly she'd been expecting a dump. Chairman Meow padded over to sniff at her and she bent down to scratch him behind the ears. So the kitten had made a new friend.

That was when Magnus came along to scoop the animal up.

"Hey you little fuzzball, don't distract her." He smiled as he mock-scolded the Chairman. "Isabelle here is very busy."

"She is?" My sister asked, giving me a confused look. I'd told her Magnus might have something for her to wear but I hadn't mentioned the spare room - which was otherwise known as the 'wardrobe room'.

I think she thought we were just grabbing a dress for her to try on. She certainly hadn't expected Magnus to lead her to the fashion equivalent of the Cave of Wonders. She stood in the doorway with her mouth hanging open a little.

"They're all second hand." Magnus sounded like he was apologising for some reason. "But I can guarantee you nobody will show up in the same thing."

Izzy looked at him disbelievingly. "I can just go in and pick one?"

"Go right ahead. I'm not going to wear them." He shrugged.

My sister honestly squealed in delight before she dashed in. I couldn't keep myself from grinning, it was so good to see. I also got the feeling Izzy was going to warm up to Magnus a great deal more after this incident.

If the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, the way into Isabelle's was through couture.

Magnus stood on the threshold looking in, calling in the occasional advise about where Izzy could find a certain size or anything she might like. I looked in from the other side of the door.

"Thank you for this." I told him sincerely. I knew that I'd been an absolute pain in the ass for Magnus lately. Sooner or later something would have to give, and I'd need to find a way to show I was grateful.

For now all I could do was get up on my toes to kiss him.

"Oh my goodness!" Isabelle gasped behind us. Magnus glanced up and smiled knowingly.

"I knew it would be that one." He said, striding in to stand beside Izzy. Magnus took the white dress from the rack, looked it over and sent Isabelle to the bathroom to change into it. I didn't get a good look because my sister zipped past me too fast.

Magnus kept looking around the room, gathered a few items and walked right past me too.

"Excuse me, Sweetheart, but we have a girl in need." He smiled back at me over his shoulder. Then he knocked on the bathroom door. "Isabelle, I have some more things for you."

The door opened the tiniest amount for Izzy to thank Magnus and pull the extra items inside. After a couple more minutes she called out for his help and I was left to entertain myself.

I was just trying to teach a completely disinterested kitten to play fetch when the two of them emerged. Isabelle looked great.

The dress she wore was asymmetric at the hem, showing more of her legs from the front than the back, but covered most of her upper body in a vintage-look lace; so not too much skin was on show.

The add-ons Magnus had offered consisted of a black underbust corset - later, when I told him Izzy already had one of those, Magnus would go on a quality-rant and bash all which was off-the-rack - and a pendant with a red jewel.

"Isn't it great?" Izzy was very happy and kept swishing the skirt around. I noticed that they'd re-done her hair into a braided arrangement while they were in the bathroom. "I'll need to wear my black boots."

"Why do you have the dress from that daemon-hunter movie?" I asked Magnus curiously. Izzy was paying more attention to herself than us and wouldn't notice that I hadn't replied.

"I don't. This is the dress from the premiere." Magnus explained. "It's just based on that dress."

"It's better!" Izzy grinned.

"Well I'm glad you think so." Said Magnus.

He then took my arm and steered me to stand beside my sister. He gave both of us a stern look and folded his arms over his chest.

"Okay Lightwoods, listen up." He said. "Next year you will inform me of your Halloween plans on the FIRST of October. Is that clear?"

* * *

**I had to upload this chapter using my phone again, so sorry if there are spelling or formating problems. i'll try to fix any when i get home. **

**Anyway, i hope you liked the chapter. Thanks for reading, I'll be uploading the next one 'A City of Bones' soon.**


	54. A City Of Bones

Magnus said he didn't mind me going out with Zach and Imasu on Halloween. The plans were made before we were really together, so Magnus said that he would go party with his friends instead. I couldn't stress enough how much I'd rather spend the evening with him but what was done was done.

Imasu was already in the car when Zach came to pick me up. The Doctor drove us to an old bookshop, with no trace of a party in sight. I was very confused and almost frightened until I saw that Imasu was just as dumbfounded as I was.

Zach lead the way to a door marked 'Out of Order'. I'd assumed it was a disused bathroom until my Boss opened the door to reveal a dark stairwell.

"Tonight, boys, we hit The Bone City." He announced with some pride; like this was a great accomplishment.

I had no idea what was going on but Imasu seemed impressed. He even gave a little gasp of appreciation.

"_You_ know the way to The Bone City?" He asked. He peered down the winding staircase as if that darkness held the mysteries of the universe. "_How_?"

"I used to work there." Said Zach with a grin.

Once again he was the one to lead us. We descended the steps slowly; it was difficult to see in the dark. I tripped once and Zach caught me. From that point on I was very careful.

As it turned out The Bone City was a club; an extremely exclusive club that even kept its entrances a secret. It was a lot like an old speak-easy, in that you had to go through a hidden entryway to get there, but according to Zach this place had a whole bunch of passages which lead to it. Some of them wound on for a whole half hour. Ours would only take five minutes.

The longer we walked the better we could see. The lights on the walls were in the shape of small human skulls, lit up from the inside like morbid jack-o-lanterns. Very creepy and perfect for Halloween… Although I had to wonder what kind of people frequented the place outside of October.

"Rich people have this party every year." Zach explained in a rather snarky way. "It's always a masquerade; they go and pretend we commoners don't know where they are."

"So... We're party-crashing?" Imasu asked, although his tone didn't suggest that he found anything morally wrong with that. He sounded quite excited, in fact.

"The Staff _expect_ people normal people like us to turn up." Zach laughed. "It's hardly crashing."

"But the guests don't? Expect us, I mean." I questioned.

After a pause, Zach responded with a belated: "No."

I'd never done anything like that before; I wasn't sure how I felt about it either. It was too late to think about it, though. We'd already arrived.

The balcony we stepped out onto was teeming with people in extravagant outfits. The real party, however, seemed to be happening on the floor below. The sparkling dance floor was filled with revellers who danced the way people did before 'grinding' became a thing. The music had a pulse to it that set an inexplicably dangerous kind of atmosphere over the club.

It was glamorous; in a dark kind of way. The next staircase we encountered was wrought iron. This time I could see where I was going by twinkling, spinning white lights.

The bar on the bottom floor was extravagantly decorated; carved to look as though it was constructed from bone. The Bone City had certainly taken its namesake and ran with it.

Imasu took his drink and made a swift escape into the masked crowd. His departure had been prompted by a pointed look from Zach. I don't think my Boss knew I'd noticed.

I felt my stomach drop.

The control on the music volume in The Bone City was a lot better than it was at Pandemonium most nights. Zach didn't need to yell over anything when he started to speak to me.

"I feel like I need to say something." He said.

Drink couldn't calm my nerves fast enough; but I threw back half my glass a lot faster than I should have all the same. Letting Zach think I was a heavy drinker wasn't big on my list of concerns just then.

Besides, he was already talking again.

"When I invited you out..." Zach tried to explain. "I hadn't wanted it to be as a group."

My hand gripped the half-empty glass I was holding little tighter. I didn't know what to say to Zach. The words 'no shit' came to mind, but they didn't seem appropriate. I tried to conjure up my more oblivious smile. Then I worried it might come off wrong; as if I was glad to hear that Zach had wanted me alone.

"I don't think you've noticed that I like you a great deal." Zach continued, sounding regretful. I cast my eyes downward to the bar.

I hated that moment. Listening to a doomed confession was awful. Horrible. Like when you see that somebody is about to get hit in the face with a frisbee but you can't stop it from happening.

"And every time I see you, I just..." Zach faltered, then touched his fingers to my chin and tilted me to look at him. "I want to..."

Zach never told me aloud what he wanted. Instead he pressed his lips to mine and everything seemed to freeze.

I closed my eyes and felt him there. I wasn't kissing back, but I wasn't stopping him either. As he usually did, Zach took passiveness for encouragement, and twined one of his hands into my hair. That was when I snapped out of it and pushed him away, horrified with myself.

I should have flinched away the second Zach had touched me, not stayed still and allowed it to happen. Now I couldn't get out of my seat fast enough.

I span and turned directly into somebody's back. I felt like I was on an elevator when the chord snaps. The intricate body art of Caterina Loss was instantly recognisable; and when Zach called my name after me, she knew immediately who I was.

Caterina flipped my mask up off my face with a gasp. Her own eyes were covered by a lace ribbon which complimented her dress but must have been annoying to see through.

"How on earth did you end up in here?" She smiled in astonishment.

My reply caught in my throat. Caterina was stood beside Camille, Woolsey and a man who had little green horns attached to his mask. He was looking right at me with this frown on his face. I had no doubt at all that _he'd_ seen Zach kiss me; although I wasn't sure about the others.

"Party crashing are we?" Camille seemed surprised. Her blood red lips pouted and I saw that she had a little minimalist line of fake blood running down her chin. I imagined Camille was one of the guests under the illusion we poor nobodies couldn't find her in the Bone City.

I felt Zach seize my arm. Having a group surround me was awful in itself but with the costumes and the setting and the dizzying lights... The night was turning into a completely surreal nightmare.

"How naughty of you!" Woolsey grinned. His tone was suggestive, but from what I'd gathered when we last met, that's what Woolsey always sounded like.

"Ragnor, this is Alexander!" Caterina introduced me excitedly.

"And who is Alexander's _date_?" Asked 'Ragnor', the man dressed in green. He sounded nothing but unimpressed. Maybe a tiny bit bored.

I didn't think my boyfriend had had this sort of thing in mind when he talked about Ragnor being a bit of a bother. Thinking of Magnus only made my worry rise.

Magnus had said he'd be with friends that night. I whipped my head around, dreading that I might see him stood there. Were these the friends he'd gone out with?

Instead of finding Magnus, my eyes landed on Zach. That brought me back to the here-and-now.

"This is my Boss," I told the others, trying to make it clear that I wasn't on some kind of secret date. "Our co-worker is here somewhere. We're a trio."

"Ooh, I do love trios." Camille grinned slyly.

Woolsey agreed with her and the rest of us stood by awkwardly as the two of them struck up a conversation about their 'most interesting' three ways. With most of the group suitably distracted by a topic which was rapidly becoming more and more discomforting, I decided that it was time to get away. I stuttered an 'excuse me' and walked away from the group.

It was no surprise that Zach followed after me. Much as I hated how the night was turning out; it was too late. If my Boss wanted to talk about whatever feelings he professed to have for me then that was what we had to talk about.

No matter how uncomfortable it made me, or how much I hated myself at that moment.

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**I hope this chapter read okay, I had to keep editing and hacking away at it trying to make it work. Thank you for reading and for your lovely reviews. The next chapter 'The Moment' will be posted soon.**


	55. The Moment

Zach knew the passages of the Bone City like he'd spent his whole life there. I felt lost, disorientated and sick to my stomach by the time he stopped walking us through that stone maze. I tried to carry on but if he wasn't going anywhere, there wasn't much point in going without him.

"How did you know all those people?" He asked.

Zach had long since pulled his mask off but I still couldn't see him too well here where the light was dimmer. His intense stare, though, that seemed to be illuminated.

"I know them because they're all friends with Magnus." I told Zach as calmly as I could. I straightened up my back ready for our conversation to become a conflict at any moment. I could feel the tension in the cold air.

"You met them through your Tutor?" My Boss asked, squinting at me ever so slightly. "Exactly how close_ are _you two?"

There it was. My moment. After all my worries and the build-up, the whole thing seemed so... Small, somehow. So trivial. It left me feeling very dry about it all.

"He's my boyfriend, Zach." I said. "Magnus and I are together."

It almost felt as if I could have swept my hand through the thick silence and gathered it into a ball like snow. Maybe I could throw that ball at Zach and make him say something.

I wasn't sure I had ever seen Zach without a smile, but at that moment he became dark. His mouth set into a thin, straight line and he took a step towards me.

"You told _me_ that you didn't have a boyfriend." He stated, without any possibility for doubt or question.

I tried to have empathy and feel what Zach was feeling. I made an attempt to understand the embarrassment and resentment, finding out he'd bestowed his attentions on a person who was already taken. I really did try. I just wasn't feeling so sympathetic.

Maybe it was the way he was looking at me. Let me tell you, it was not a loving gaze anymore.

"That was weeks ago." I told him bluntly.

Zach really shouldn't have been basing his advances on out-of-date information. That wasn't the way he saw it, though. He grabbed my shoulders tightly; his nails would have dug in if I had been wearing fewer layers.

"And exactly how many more weeks were you planning to string me along?" He growled.

I had been expecting disappointment. Upset, at most. Not anger like this. It turned out that I was the one becoming upset, and I'd done nothing wrong.

Well, the kiss was wrong, but I didn't initiate it and up until that point I'd been trying to deter him.

"Zach, let me go." I demanded, although my voice was small. "I never wanted to mislead you."

"But you did." Said Zach as he gripped me a little tighter.

I shifted back, to test, and found myself held firmly in position. I tried harder and got the same result, so he was stronger than I would have expected. If Zach had been _that_ kind of guy, he could have taken whatever he wanted from me right there and then, and I wouldn't have been able to stop him. I thanked the powers that be that he wasn't that kind of guy.

"Don't be like this." I begged. I just didn't know how I'd ever face Dr Zachariah again after this. I was feeling more and more embarrassed and ashamed the longer it went on. Embarrassed that he was getting the better of me. Ashamed that all this time he thought I was just trying to tease him. "I don't want to argue with you."

"You never told me _no_." He continued. "You never mentioned _Magnus_."

There was the kicker. He was right about that. I could only tell my Boss what I'd been telling myself.

"Because it would have been random and unprofessional!" I cried out like it was obvious. Why couldn't he see that?

"Unprofessional?" Zach asked, with a dry bark of a laugh. His smile was back but his kindness hadn't returned with it.

He tilted close, so that the sides of our faces touched and his lips were just barely grazing my ear. I could feel my heartbeat in every inch of my body as he viciously whispered the words: "I think you just like the attention."

Perhaps I was just getting too worked up. It was possible the strong drink I'd had earlier was starting to kick in. Maybe it was just the straw that broke the camel's back. All I know is that something in me snapped right then. In a burst of adrenaline I was able to push the Doctor off of me and he stumbled back into the wall.

I was _so sick_ of this! I was fed up with people talking about me like I was some kind of attention-grabbing slut. Never in my life had I been the type of guy who plays people off and I was so tired of people who seemed to see me that way.

What had I even done? I felt like I was being punished. Punished for loving the wrong person and not being arrogant enough to assume anybody who was nice to me wanted to get me into bed. I couldn't win for losing, or do right for doing wrong. And now I had a messy situation to deal with.

My autopilot was back. I couldn't stop myself.

"Don't you _dare_ speak to me like that!" I yelled. The sound of my voice reverberated off the walls and sounded like it filled the entire corridor. Dr Zachariah had never looked as shocked as he was when he saw me loose it.

Well, he'd given me a similar surprise with that nasty side of his.

Zach's lips parted but I wasn't ready to let him speak yet.

"I happen to _hate _attention!" I screamed at him, just letting every pent-up thing I'd been feeling since September wash out of me like water from a dam which was collapsing. And it was collapsing fast. "I hate that I never know what to do about your '_attention'_ if I want to keep my job!"

"You really think I'd use your job to make you do anything?" Dr Zachariah asked, insulted.

"I haven't known what to think!" I snapped back at him. "But I do know that you won't want to work with a guy whorejected you."

I guess Dr Zachariah realised that was true, because it took him a while to reply. I got the feeling he didn't bet on a scenario where I didn't give him what he wanted.

Now I was the insulted one.

"Okay." He said. "Maybe not. But I'm sure we can find a solution."

"I have a solution." I said, with my brain still failing to properly engage my mouth. "Fuck the job. You're sure not fucking _me_."

There. The knife was thoroughly stuck in. I felt the tiniest pang of remorse for the fact I'd just completely destroyed the hopes of a man who was ordinarily nothing but nice to me; but then it was gone.

And he was gone; retreated furiously back through the tunnel towards The Bone City.

It was all over. I slumped to the floor feeling sick to my stomach. The more I thought about it the more I realised how I'd basically screwed myself over, right there. However good it had felt at the time to get everything I'd been keeping to myself out in the open.

I'd lost somebody who could have been a friend; two somebodies, if I took into account that Imasu may not want anything more to do with me.

I was more worried about being able to pay my rent. There's no redundancy pay for quitters. Then there were Magnus' friends to be concerned about. That Ragnor guy, looking miserable as hell, who'd seen that kiss and could very well inform the others, or Magnus himself. It was going to get back to him.

I was sure that Magnus would forgive me, it was so small a thing, but I felt like a terrible person for it all the same. Magnus had been so good and changed so much. Now I felt like I was a hypocrite and the thought brought tears to my eyes that I refused to cry.

I heard footsteps in the hall. These footsteps came from loud, heeled shoes which clicked against the hard floor. I knew that sound well enough from growing up with my Mother in the house.

When I looked up, I saw a blurry version of Camille through my wet eyes. I squeezed my lids shut and buried my head in my knees.

* * *

**Another chapter up! Thanks for reading everybody, and for your reviews which always make me smile. I hope this chapter met your expectations and will be posting the next one, "Seeing Another Side", very soon.**


	56. Seeing Another Side

"Oh, come now, mon petit. Don't cry..." I heard the rustling Camille's long skirts as she knelt down beside me. When I looked at her she was the very picture of concern.

Had she followed us? She must have followed us to have happened upon me in this winding tunnel. I was glad that she had, because otherwise I would have wondered along alone and popped out who-knows-where. It also meant I didn't need to explain to her what had happened. I got the impression Camille already knew what was on my mind.

"What the fuck am I going to do, Cam?!" I sobbed and took a deep breath.

Everything felt awful. Camille dabbed some kind of fabric against my cheek and I thought about how I'd cried more since meeting Magnus Bane than I had my entire life before him.

"You are going to dry your eyes." Camille sighed as she pulled her own mask off. "And we are going to leave this party."

For a second or two I thought that she was joking. Camille Belcourt, offering to give up her good time for me? There was no way.

"No, no." I said. "Don't be stupid."

"This party is stupid." She declared. Then Camille put on an incredibly bored face and sighed. "It's the same every year."

Though much beloved by fans across the globe, Camille Belcourt was known for her iconic beauty but not her kindness. She never seemed to care for others and I'd always thought she had a selfish motive behind everything. However, I didn't believe that she truly wanted to leave The Bone City because she was fed up. Cam had been having a great time when I'd seen her in the party room.

Thinking about it; I never found out why she'd decided to divorce Magnus, either. I'd assumed she had a new flame at the ready, but I'd seen no evidence yet.

We walked through the hall for a good ten minutes before we reached the surface. Camille got her phone and took a few steps out of earshot. I took the time to look around, trying to figure out where we were while letting the air clear my head. Stars aren't so easy to see in the City, but the moon was bright enough. The lights from the buildings twinkled as the people inside went from room to room, turning them on and off.

I closed my eyes to it all and cursed my own stupidity. I was sure something was wrong with me. I wasn't supposed to be the overdramatic one in the family yet I'd just completely flipped out. The more time past the less I felt invigorated and the more I felt like a complete and utter fool.

"My car is coming." Camille informed me.

"Your car drives itself?" I asked without thinking. She gave me a look and I realised she must have some kind of town car with a driver.

His name was Archer and he arrived quickly to pick us up.

* * *

Camille didn't ask me where I lived and we didn't go back to her place, either. Instead she had Archer drive us out to Brooklyn, where Magnus' apartment was.

"I don't have a key." I told her as she got out of the car. "We won't be able to get in."

"Magnus will let us in." Said Camille flippantly. She took my hand and pulled me out onto the street with her.

"He's out." I said. Magnus had told me he had a party to go to. I'd actually expected him to be back at The Bone City somewhere. I'd spent a good portion of the drive thinking about why - if Magnus was there - his ex-wife was the one trying to take care of me.

Camille rolled her eyes at me like I was being stupid. When we got inside she wrinkled her nose up at the state of the hall. Like me, Cam took the steps quickly so she could get to the apartment as soon as possible.

I wasn't expecting any result when she knocked at the door and was very surprised when Magnus opened it. He held a bowl of sweets and chocolate out like he'd been expecting trick-or-treaters. He had a happy expression until he saw me and his face fell. I must have looked like hell.

"Alexander?" Asked Magnus. "What's wrong?"

"Date gone wrong." Camille explained on my behalf. "From what I can gather, Alexander didn't want to sleep with his Boss, so now he doesn't have a Boss anymore."

Magnus got a look in his eyes that was troubled and angry at the same time. He hurried to go put the bowl down inside, tugging me along beside him. "Zach _fired_ you?"

I shook my head and looked at the floor, knowing just how much of an idiot I would sound.

"I quit." I said.

"Oh, Darling..." Magnus cooed. He pulled me into a tight hug against his chest and his warmth chased off a cold feeling I didn't know I had.

There was quiet, and then Camille told Magnus she had to go. I wondered if she would return to the party or simply go home. Magnus thanked her for bringing me to him. He didn't seem the least bit surprised by her behaviour. This woman had been his lifeline for years.

That night I'd gotten a glimpse of what Camille was like behind her selfish front. She was a lot like Magnus when it came to hiding behind a borderline-sociopathic exterior. I could tell that there was an affectionate centre in there somewhere.

"You said you were going out." I said to Magnus when we were alone.

Long fingers were playing with my hair and Magnus' chest moved with his steady breathing. My boyfriend had a way of making everything feel right in a messed up world. He stood there until I stirred and moved myself, not pulling away until I was ready.

I headed to the kitchen area to make some coffee, just to do something normal. Magnus stopped me, saying we'd be up all night on that stuff. He started making hot chocolate because the caffeine was weaker.

"Tell me what happened." He said as he dug around in the cupboards. Magnus kept looking back at me to show that he was listening, but I didn't know what to say to him.

"I love you, Magnus." I told him the next time our eyes locked. My voice sounded weak and I closed my eyes while I internally scolded myself.

"What happened?" Magnus asked again, only this time his tone held some suspicion. It was no wonder; I was acting like a freak. "Alec?"

"You're going to be angry at me..." I stated quietly. I kept my eyes closed so that I wouldn't have to choose a place to look.

_Ever the innocent one, aren't you?_

I heard a sound like Magnus was blowing air out of his cheeks. I took a glance up and saw him put a hand through his hair. Then he started drumming his hands on the edge of the counter. He already seemed agitated.

"Well, you didn't have sex." Magnus stated fairly confidently. He sounded like he was ticking a possibility from a checklist.

"I wouldn't do that to you." I was sure to be insistent about that fact. I didn't even know how I'd gotten myself into _this_ situation, let alone something like that.

Magnus slid a hot mug across the counter while he watched me with a thoughtful intensity.

"But you have done _something_, haven't you?" Magnus asked in the voice of somebody who didn't _need_ to ask.

"We kissed." I was ashamed to admit. "Just once. I ran away right after."

"I see..." I sensed nothing in Magnus' tone to tell me how he was taking that information. Then Magnus picked up his drink and went to sit in the living space. I was left to follow him like a little lost puppy.

"I hated it." I told him. "Zach isn't you... It felt wrong when it wasn't you."

Magnus said nothing. He nodded to himself and took a gulp of his drink.

"I told him about you right after!" I offered in the hopes it would bring some kind of consolation. "He was really mad, but I told him. I'll never keep you a secret again."

"I'm surprised you managed in the first place." Magnus commented. I was just happy to hear him speak. His mug was just about empty by now and I felt like I'd been talking forever.

Magnus wasn't really addressing the subject or revealing how he felt about it. On another day, I might have gotten irritated, but all my anger was spent right then. I'd already yelled at one person who probably didn't deserve it that night and I wasn't planning to make a habit of it.

Magnus looked at me and sighed. I waited patiently to be told off; Angels knew that I deserved it. I'd had enough time to feel sorry for myself in the car with Camille. Now I had to face up to the repercussions of acting like a total asshole.

"Well, I'm not _happy,_ Alexander." Magnus said. That much was obvious. Usually when Magnus used my full name it sounded wonderful, now it reminded me of being scolded more than ever.

"Is there a 'but'?" I asked hopefully.

"There is." Magnus told me, slowly. "When I compare this to what I did before, it doesn't seem right to be angry."

"It isn't about what seems right." I said. "It's about how you feel."

Magnus thought about it for another moment. I gave him the time he wanted.

"I'll be mad if it becomes a repeat occurrence..." He said, eventually.

"It will never happen again." I promised. I couldn't stress enough how much I meant that.

I promised myself as much as I was promising Magnus that I would never have another night like that again. Treating people badly and being selfish and spiteful wasn't the kind of person I was. It definitely wasn't the kind of person I wanted to _become_. I knew that I should have learned from the mistakes I'd seen Magnus and my Father make.

If I'd failed to do that, at least I had my own experiences to motivate me. I would not go down that road again.

* * *

**Update up! Unsurprisingly we were not at all happy with Alec in the last chapter - but nobody is perfect enough to always say the right thing. Interested to see how this chapter goes down. The next one 'Lowered' will be up soon.**


	57. Lowered

I woke up alone in the morning like I always did. The difference was that this time I was in Magnus' bed. Magnus favoured bright, pop-art colours in his room which hurt my eyes. I didn't remember the room he'd shared with Camille being like that, so I guessed either his tastes had changed or that Camille had had more pull with the decorating. Most likely the latter.

I scanned the room for a clock but didn't see anything. My room didn't have a clock in it, either, but for some reason I'd expected Magnus' would. What I did find was a short note on the bedside table beside a packaged-up toothbrush.

_Alexander,_

_Didn't want to wake you but had to get to work. Make yourself at home and don't stress too much. Will be back later._

_Love, Magnus._

My first thought was that I should be getting to work too, before the horrible events of the previous night hit me like a rampaging bull. Well, I probably didn't need to rush, then. I got up groggily, reading the note over a couple more times.

I considered whether or not borrowing clothes was included as part of 'making myself at home', because I didn't really have anything to put on. I could have gone home to dress but I didn't have a key to lock Magnus' door with. I knew I'd be stranded until he made his way back and couldn't decide if that had been planned or if Magnus had just forgotten I couldn't lock the door behind me.

In any case it provided me with an excuse not to go to the Museum in person. I knew that was immature and that I owed Dr Zachariah an apology; but I just wasn't feeling too grown up. A phone call to reception would suffice for the time being.

Imasu picked up as he always did with the scripted greeting he used every time he picked up the Museum phone.

"It's Alec," I said, feeling quite nervous about talking to anybody from work right about then. Especially given that if I was asked for an excuse or sick note, I wouldn't have one . Imasu would expect me to justify myself and I'd have to recount the story. "Just calling to say I won't be in today."

What Imasu did ask, proving he'd already been told about what had happened, was: "Will you be in _any_ day?"

"Probably not." I informed him. The sad thing was that I probably wouldn't even visit one of my favourite places in a casual way anymore. The last thing I wanted was to be bumping into these people all the time.

"I thought not..." Imasu sighed. We were struggling awkwardly with the conversation. What do you say to somebody you may or may not speak to again? "See you around, I guess."

"I guess." I repeated.

I supposed that the two of us were never meant to become real friends. I went to push the end-call button but stopped myself upon hearing Imasu speak again.

"And Alec?" He said.

"Yes?" I asked, surprised that he'd found anything to say to me.

"Harsh."

_Harsh_ was the last word before the conversation clicked to a halt. That one word got right under my skin in the worst of ways and I wanted to throw my phone across the room. I settled for the toothbrush, because I didn't want to break anything.

Fuck Imasu. He didn't know anything. It wasn't like I was there to defend myself, Dr Zachariah could have told him anything. He'd probably omitted the part where he made those accusations about me and skipped right from 'I plucked up the courage to confess' to 'Alec went batshit crazy.'

I seethed a little, but who was I kidding? In hindsight I could see that I was the person being completely out of line.

I told myself that I had to let it go. A chapter of my life was over and I just needed to power forward. History didn't depict that I was very got the letting go, but it was going to be okay. I just had to keep busy.

So, I hunted down where Magnus kept his towels and made use of his shower. His bathroom looked like the one I used to share with Isabelle; when she'd leave about a million bottles lying around with different levels of goo inside, instead of just finishing one and buying another.

With the knowledge of what Izzy was like should I happen to use the 'wrong' bottle, I went about looking for the most generic items. Failing that, the ones which were most full. The end result was a scent startlingly similar to Magnus' sugar-and-sandalwood smell.

After that clothes became an issue. Magnus had loaned me sleepwear the night before and now I didn't want to snoop through his belongings looking for something else. He'd left his closet wide open, so I figured if I could see it anyway, that was an acceptable place to look.

It was a fairly difficult task but eventually I'd remembered that tight-fitting for Magnus would be a loose-to-normal fit on me, so I stopped blanching at the idea of half the things he owned and managed to dress myself in something fairly ordinary.

When I checked the time on my phone I saw that it was only midday. With my mood plummeting the longer I spent doing nothing but dwelling, I set to work busying myself.

First I went back into the bathroom to clean it up. Well, for the most part that was just organising. Magnus didn't live in any kind of dirt despite what you might think when you knocked on his door.

That didn't take so long. I tidied up in the bedroom afterwards, kept Chairman Meow company until the kitten decided to go sleep on one of the stools by the kitchen. I took that as a good indication that I should start cooking.

By the time Magnus came home food was ready. He said he could smell it as he walked in and looked pretty impressed.

Magnus eyed me up and down before he took his plate. "Are those my clothes?"

"I didn't have any of my own here." I mumbled in explanation while I got drinks. I'd long since memorised the layout of Magnus' kitchen and actually had to do less digging around than he did most of the time.

"Oddly sexy…" Magnus commented before he put a forkful of food in his mouth and made a very approving sound. I hoped he was complementing what he tasted as opposed to what he saw and took a seat.

"How was your day?" I asked.

Magnus told me about work; it was all about camera settings and bitchy stylists and models that hadn't eaten in a week. Most of it was over my head but I loved to hear him talk.

He was still talking while I did the dishes.

"Sorry that I didn't call to check up on you. I wanted to at Lunch but I ended up meeting Ragnor and Cat." Magnus said.

"Why weren't you out with them last night?" I asked. That was one thing I had been curious about. Why tell me he was going somewhere when Camille had clearly known he wasn't?

Magnus shrugged, taking a glance over to his neglected dishwasher and then casting a look of disbelief to my hands in the soapy water. "I didn't feel like it, I suppose."

"And you didn't tell me that... Because?" I wondered aloud.

"Because you would have either cancelled your plans," Magnus predicted. "Or gone with Zach and felt guilty the entire time."

"Well. That backfired." I said. I was definitely feeling guilt now. I wished that I _had_ cancelled my plans.

I imagined how different my situation would be now if I'd told Dr Zachariah 'Sorry, I can't go, my boyfriend is going to be home alone.' We probably could have avoided a whole lot of nastiness. Well, a guy can dream, can't he?

"I think I may have lowered your friends' opinions of me." I informed Magnus as I sullenly remembered Ragnor's grim expression the night before. I'd lowered everybody's opinion of me that night. My own included.

"If they minded the odd kiss out of line, they wouldn't be friends of mine." Magnus laughed, probably thinking about his married life. After a pause he added: "Ragnor thinks it was kind of trashy, but he says that about me too. And Camille and Woolsey."

"That's because you, Camille and Woolsey will sleep with anything with two legs and a heartbeat." I commented.

"And you'll kiss anything with over twenty years." Magnus retorted.

I was so shocked that my mouth hung open. Magnus was smirking away while I tried to come up with something to say back to him. I was drawing a blank.

"I like this more level playing field." Magnus said with a smile. "Now you have to get off that monogamous high-horse."

"I was _not_ on a high horse!" I laughed in half-outrage. I got some soap bubbles from the sink and blew them at Magnus. He laughed as well, caught some and smeared them on my cheek.

"Your horse was so high the birds were jealous." Magnus continued to smirk.

With a nudge to the ribs, I ordered him to dry the dishes on the draining board. He always complained that the point of the draining board was to leave them draining. I still made him do it.

When everything was put away, it was getting late again. I tossed the tea towel into the laundry and yawned.

"Time for bed, Love?" Magnus asked.

The way he said 'Love' gave me a fuzzy feeling no self-respecting male should really admit to having. I'm pretty sure we have some unwritten law against words like 'fuzzy'.

I looked towards Magnus' room, thinking about it. I could have gone home… But I _was_ kind of tired.

* * *

**Chapter up! Hope you guys liked it, thank you for reading and for any reviews you've given. **

**I start College this morning so I may change the time of day I upload to save me rushing around in future. Next chapter 'Parting' will be up soon.**


	58. Parting

I hadn't actually been counting the days, so I was a little surprised when it dawned on me. Now I was on my third night staying at Magnus' place. So far I'd cleaned all the remaining rooms aside from the spare, so I was running out of things to do if Magnus were to leave me to my own devices again. More importantly my next rent cheque would be due soon and I desperately needed to find myself a job.

"Magnus…" I said softly, eyes half lidded with sleep while he held me against his body. "I need to go home…"

"What, now?" Magnus asked, incredulously. He immediately set about kissing my neck, slowly, as if to give me an incentive to stay. It was working.

"No…" I told him, smiling and running my hands over his bare arms. "But when you go to work tomorrow, I won't be able to lock the door behind me."

"Oh. I see…" Magnus chuckled. "Have I been holding you captive, Darling?"

"I've been pretty lazy in planning my breakout." I laughed back.

It's normal, I think, when you love somebody, to want to spend every moment close to them. But in the real world you have to get up and do something with your day. At least, that's the ethic I was raised with.

Magnus pushed my hair out of my face. It was getting a little long.

"I'd give you a spare key if I had one." He thought aloud.

"Just make sure I leave with you in the Morning." I said, after I kissed him.

It felt so natural being so close to Magnus. Being with him. As if we fit so perfectly together. And when we were done 'being together', it felt equally right to fall asleep to the sound of his heartbeat.

* * *

When I got home, I could have changed into my own clothes. I could have used my own shower and smelled like my own soap. I just didn't want to.

My little room without windows looked dark and especially boring now. A printout of one of Dr Zachariah's papers was on the nightstand where I left it. Depressing as it was, I felt compelled to pick it up and finish reading it. I even added the notes I would have done if I still worked with the Doctor and thought about turning it in.

It seemed like a good idea. There probably wasn't any way I could make peace with my old Boss but I could at least leave the Museum without any unfinished business. I grabbed the finished paper and my coat and headed out.

In the corridor I bumped into Kyle, who was on his way home. I should have stopped to explain my financial situation to the guy I shared rent with, but I'd see him again soon and I wanted to drop the paper off before the Museum staff finished their breaks.

"Hey, you're not dead!" Kyle greeted.

"Not just yet!" I called back over my shoulder from my place on the stairwell. I heard Kyle laugh before he was out of earshot.

The nearer I got to the Museum the more I was regretting my decision to show up in Magnus' clothes baring a paper I didn't need to give back. I had to keep reminding myself that it was only right to apologise to the Doctor and that I'd been putting it off by staying at Magnus' apartment for the last couple of days.

When I entered the building Imasu looked like he'd seen a ghost and very nearly dropped the phone he was holding.

"Shit, Alec." He said when he'd hung up, much to the offence of an elderly woman to our right. "Didn't think I'd see you again so soon."

"Has he gone to Lunch yet?" I asked. Imasu knew who I meant.

"I'm not so sure you should talk to him." The desk clerk replied shortly.

I rolled my eyes at him.

"Don't get all superior with me." I said. He was the last person I felt the need to explain myself to. "If you thought it was so bad why didn't _you_ tell Zach about Magnus?"

People in glass houses should never throw stones. No, I wasn't _blaming_ Imasu; I knew with too much clarity that everything that had happened had been my own fault. I was the one who asked Imasu not to say anything in the first place. However, if lies of omission were so against his moral code, he would have refused to keep any secrets and said something. So he couldn't very well get on my case.

"I'm not here to argue, but I'm willing to bet that you _still_ haven't told Zach you knew I had a boyfriend all along." I added.

"Zach will probably be out of the office soon." Imasu glowered. He swivelled his chair away from me in a huff and that was just fine as far as I was concerned.

I took the time to have a look around for any new exhibits. I thought about going up where the photography would be but I didn't want to miss the Doctor. Sure enough, he appeared soon after I considered relocating to a different level

"I hope you aren't here as an applicant." He said dryly. "I just finished interviews."

Robotically, I held out the paper to him. He looked slightly taken aback before he cautiously took it from my hands.

"It's really good." I told him.

"Well, thank you." Dr Zachariah smiled a strained smile and looked at me expectantly.

We both knew I didn't come in just to hand him some papers he'd probably throw out. I look a look around; the Museum was fairly empty. It was midday, midweek after all. We were far enough from the front desk that Imasu wouldn't be eavesdropping. It was then or never.

"I could try to justify myself and tell you a bunch of excuses..." I said. Angels, had I come up with excuses. The thing was that no matter what role others played, I personally hadn't behaved well or made the right choices. "But if I'm honest with myself then I know I owe you an apology. I'm _incredibly_ sorry, and I mean that."

The Doctor nodded after some consideration. "You're very mature to do this, Alec."

"And the reason I need to is because I'm not mature at all." I almost laughed, but it wasn't a time for laughter. There was some kind of solemn feeling encompassing the two of us.

"You aren't the only one who has some growing up to do." Dr Zachariah admitted. "I'm not proud of the way I spoke to you."

"It's okay. I understand." I assured him. The last thing he needed to do was apologise to me during my own apology.

Dr Zachariah extended his hand in my direction. I took it and we shook firmly for what would be the final time.

"To parting well?" Zach suggested.

"To parting well." I agreed.

I was still mad at myself for the way I'd acted, but I left the Museum feeling like I'd at least mended something.

* * *

When I got home Kyle was already out. Probably visiting Maia. The two of them were always together. They made a nice couple. Unfortunately thinking about couples made me feel all the more lonely lying in my room by myself.

Jace sent me a text to find out when we were going to run next, which made me feel a little better. It sometimes felt like with everything going on - in all of our lives - I rarely saw my friends anymore. I picked one of the days we'd usually go out together, so I knew Jace wouldn't have classes in the way, but let him know I was job-hunting so my schedule could change.

**What happened to the museum?**

My tolerance for text-speak had really decreased since leaving school, which I think had something to do with the older company I'd been keeping. Thankfully Jace's syntax didn't make me cringe like my little sister's did. Jace probably wouldn't strike you as a full-sentence kind of guy, however he also wouldn't strike you as the kind of guy who relentlessly cleaned and had an organisational system for his clothes.

Jace was my best friend and everything, but Angels help the poor people who had to cohabitate with him.

**I quit. It's a long story, I'll tell you later.** Is what I sent as a reply.

I'd have to tell Izzy what had happened too. So far we had been in contact, but mainly so she could tell me how great Pandemonium was and what had been going on at home. Apparently Simon was at odds with his Mother, which was a pity to hear. When Izzy had asked how I was I'd just said fine; I'd rather let my family know what happened after I was employed again so that they didn't have to worry about me.

It started to get late and I just couldn't sleep. I took out my laptop to look for jobs online. I didn't go looking for anything academic; just the manual things anybody might do. Anywhere that would chase Dr Zachariah for a reference was not going to hear good things about me, regardless of our apparent truce.

I sent out a few CVs by email but eventually I just got frustrated. There was no stability in my situation anymore and it was all my own fault. My insomnia felt compounded by the fact I missed Magnus, too. Not that my boyfriend was a database of available jobs or anything, but I could have at least vented to him, or told him about my visit to the museum.

Or listened to his heartbeat while I fell asleep again.

* * *

**Thank you for reading, I hope that you all liked the chapter. Next up should be 'Rent Worries'.**


	59. Rent Worries Resolved

I paused stood outside Java Jones' - CV in one hand and my other hand on the door handle - debating whether I should go in or not. The owner of the coffee shop was always really nice to me even after I left; if I asked him for some shifts I knew I could get employed fairly quickly. That was exactly what I needed...

Wasn't it?

My parents were going to throw a fit when they found out I'd gone back to serving hot drinks for a living. It wasn't education; in fact it was completely dead-end. Serving coffee would lead me nowhere at all. I could just picture my Father lecturing me about wasting my life away.

Just because it was manual didn't mean I had to hate it, though. I kind of enjoyed working there before... Then again, I didn't know who was employed there nowadays. It wouldn't be like it was back when me and Izzy always worked shifts together.

So now I was stood there trying to tell myself that none of these potential problems mattered. Money was money. A job was a job, at the end of the day.

Of course, that was assuming there even was a job awaiting me inside. Students snap up work like starving piranhas; I'd probably have to wait for a vacancy. JJ's was a fast option but it wasn't necessarily an _instant_ option.

A customer cleared his throat at me because I was blocking the entrance. I apologised and moved out of his way.

I hadn't left all that much time for looking around or waiting for one of the places I'd sent a CV to contact me. I didn't want to start work at Java Jones then abruptly leave again. I wasn't completely flaky by nature.

I took some time to think more, walking down the street. Stores were always opening and closing around there, so there were new things to look at.

When I reached the corner I would have turned right around if something interesting hadn't caught my eye. Across the street there was an antiques shop which must have recently opened. Naturally it caught my eye. I quickly checked to make sure I wouldn't get hit by oncoming traffic and darted across the road to take a look.

The shop smelled a little sweet, I remembered that they used to sell overpriced cupcakes there. Not a good business plan in a location with cheaper options in walking distance. No wonder it had gone under.

Almost overpowering the sweet smell was a scent I could only really describe as _age_. Antiques didn't only _look_ old; there was history for all the senses to find if you looked for it.

For a few moments I had a little bit of concern for the owners of the new establishment. I didn't know of many people around those parts who would bother to look. You wouldn't find many with money to splash there.

There were a couple people browsing, but I'd given enough Museum tours to know real interest when I saw it. It wasn't looking good. The one woman who did look like she might make a purchase was talking to a brunette girl who kept pushing her hair behind her ears.

I moved a little closer, looking over some of the stock as I went. It was an impressive haul, actually. Which just made the shop's prospects seem all the more bleak. The woman talking looked like a complete snob, and she clearly didn't think much of the girl running the place.

"My, my..." She said. "That seems a little steep, Theresa. I happen to know for a fact that this is a replica."

"I had no idea!" Gasped the brunette, 'Theresa', looking the object they were discussing over. She looked completely dismayed to have an illegitimate item in her shop.

It looked perfectly genuine to me.

"Mind if I take a look?" I asked, surprising myself. The shop seemed to contain a lot of Victorian items - a period of time which Dr Zachariah had had a particular interest in after reading Branwell's journal. I knew a thing or two about the relics of the time.

The woman looked ticked off that I'd interrupted but Theresa was good about handing the box over. I put my CV down and took it. I turned the box over in my hands, checking it.

"I'm pretty sure you've made a mistake." I told the woman. It hadn't taken long at all to see the box was the real deal.

The shopkeeper seemed to brighten up with her credibility somewhat restored.

"You think so?" She smiled, taking the box and setting it down carefully. Her confidence seemed to increase a great deal with somebody there who believed in her. "I may be able to find a buyer who doesn't doubt me, Mrs Black."

"I doubt it." The woman snorted. An especially unattractive sound coming from such a small, rounded person. "I know more than my fair share about antiques, boy."

"Well, either you made a mistake or you're lying through your teeth." I said confidently, trying very hard not to be put off for her clear disdain. How _dare_ somebody young actually know anything, right?

'Mrs Black' didn't take too kindly to being argued with. After a few choice words about my being apparently insolent, she blew out of the place in a huff. Beside me, the girl named Theresa sighed.

"Sorry." I told her guiltily. "I think I lost you a sale."

"You saved me from a rip off." She replied, sounding nothing but relived.

Theresa looked around my age - much younger than you might expect an antiques dealer to be. I could only assume that she hadn't been doing it for very long, what with the shaky knowledge of her own trade and everything.

"It's no problem." I said, and proceeded to show her the evidence that the object in question had not been counterfeit. I would have hated to see her fall for any more tricks. I could have spent all week in there valuing the stock. "Hope it helps."

"You know a lot about this stuff?" Theresa asked, staring forlornly at everything around us. Another customer seemed to be taking genuine interest in an old table.

"Well I'm no expert." I said honestly. I wasn't going to pretend that; my time at the Museum had been short and we'd spent a lot of it focused on very particular subjects. "But what I do know, I know pretty well."

Theresa suddenly honed in on the paper I'd left on the table in front of us. She snatched up my CV and began to skim read it before I could stop her.

"You're unemployed?" She asked, apparently astonished. Her grey eyes were wide. She seemed quite excited. "Do you want to work here?"

"Work... Here?" I repeated, sounding like a complete idiot. I wasn't reluctant, just taken by surprise. I'd work just about anywhere at that point.

"Well I could really use the help and you seem to know what you're talking about-"

"Yes." I interrupted. I didn't need any convincing to accept any kind of job, much less one with such appeal. I just couldn't really register what was happening as true. I mean, what were the chances I'd walk in at that particular moment? If I'd gone into Java Jones' first, I might never have even spoken to the girl now throwing an employment opportunity at me. "I'd love to."

"I can't believe my luck!" Theresa smiled. She folded and pocketed my CV, not that I minded as it seemed I didn't need it now.

"You took the words right out of my mouth." I smiled back, absolutely astonished.

* * *

**A post up at last! I had planned to put a chapter up days ago, but then I realized I didn't like the way it took the story at all, so I had to re-write it (and consequently now have to re-write everything I had right up to the end). **

**Thank you for reading, I hope to get back to my speedy-posting ways soon. The next chapter will be 'Normality'.**


	60. Normality

"No!" Izzy screeched at my Mother as she picked a knife up off the counter. "That's not one of the new ones!"

"Then why is it out, Isabelle?" Mother complained, picking up a different one and chopping away at the ingredients she was preparing. "Can you just clear away anything I can't use?"

I took a step into the kitchen, which smelled divine as usual in spite of the chaos it seemed to be in. Izzy was hovering around looking busy and rearranging the scene around our Mother, who was the only one doing the cooking. She looked stressed.

"What's going on?" I asked. She didn't usually get so flustered about preparing for dinner guests. In fact, she loved to entertain.

"Oh, Alexander!" Mother greeted, having not seen me come in. "Sorry about the mess. We invited Simon to dinner tonight."

I didn't quite see what that had to do with anything. I looked at Izzy hoping she could explain, or at least appear just as ignorant as I was. Instead she looked offended that I didn't see the problem.

"I was looking it up online, and it turns out you can't cook Jewish food in your normal pans!" Izzy announced, exasperated. "You can't even eat it with the same forks."

"By 'Jewish food', you mean Kosher?" I asked, taking a look at all the new cooking utensils around. I was getting a bad feeling about where this was going.

"That's right." Said Mother, nodding and cleaning up some of her workspace. "Of course, Isabelle only told me this morning-"

"Simon doesn't keep Kosher." I told them, a little reluctantly seeing all of their efforts. Immediately the two women stopped moving.

"You're _sure_?" Izzy asked, furrowing her brows.

"Pretty sure." I said. "I've seen him break those rules plenty of times. Haven't you?"

My sister kept guiltily quiet for a few seconds; after which my Mother burst into laughter. When things go wrong like that you can either become stressed about it or laugh it off, she had chosen the latter. That was nice. And lucky, on Izzy's part.

* * *

"Magnus, come in!" I could hear my Mother from my seat in the living room. "Alexander was just telling us about his new job."

"Sorry I'm so late, Maryse." Magnus apologised. He'd been held up at work when somebody higher up at his magazine wanted to change their next cover last-minute.

"Oh, not at all." My Mother pardoned him. I heard the door close behind my boyfriend as he stepped inside.

"I brought wine?" Magnus offered as consolidation. Spending so long with Camille had given him a pretty decent knowledge of liqueurs and the like. Knowledge my parents appreciated.

"Ooh, how lovely. I'll just go pop it in the kitchen." Mother said as the pair of them entered the living room together. She flashed the bottle at us on the way out but without Father there, there was nobody to impress.

Magnus came and took a seat next to me. I kissed him and Max pulled a face, but Max thought kissing was gross full-stop, so I wasn't too offended.

"Did you get the shots you needed?" I asked, just making sure that Magnus had left his work completed. He tended to be in a terrible mood when he wasn't happy with the results - would you want thousands of copies of your worst school project floating around to the general public?

"Despite all odds." Magnus sighed dramatically. Izzy giggled and Magnus greeted the others in the room. Max was sat on the floor leaning on the coffee table and Simon was perching on the arm of my sister's chair. He kept looking over to the kitchen and back to Izzy in a mortified sort of way. My guess is that he felt guilty, which was dumb because all the fuss was really my sister's fault.

"So, Alexander, this shop? Theresa's?" My Mother asked on her way back into the room.

"Tessa's." I corrected.

Like me, Tessa hated people using her name in full, so we had a mutual agreement when it came to shortening them down.

I re-told the story of the incredibly fortunate day I'd had when I walked into the shop for the first time. As it turned out, Tessa's family was full of antique fanatics. Recently she'd lost some relatives who had left their entire house - and all the treasures in it - to her. Although she hated to sell it all away, she really had no use for the stuff. She kept photographs and anything sentimental, as well as some jewellery and clothing, and decided that the rest could be sold off.

Of course, stock like she had would be wasted on e-bay or at a jumble sale. She opened her shop with the money she'd gotten from selling the house itself.

"She's going to learn-by-doing, I think." I told my family. "Start buying in once she gets the knack for it."

"Well it sounds very exciting." Mother smiled.

"Does it?" Said Max. His interests didn't really span to this sort of thing. I'd long since made peace with the fact the things I loved were actually quite boring to the people around me.

"Your brother doesn't have the most usual of tastes." Magnus smirked.

"I'll say..." Max commented, looking unusually intently at Magnus himself.

Max had never cared much about the fact Magnus was male. Up until recently, it had made no difference to him. But not long ago, he'd had this project on family trees. Max had been sweet enough to include a branch for Magnus - and one for Simon, too - which his Teacher had thought was a mistake. Explaining to her hadn't been a problem. The problem was that some less open-minded kids had overheard, and weren't at all shy about voicing the bigoted opinions they'd been raised with.

Max had been pretty surprised and very angered by their reaction.

So, that day my little brother got in trouble for shoving one of the other kids down sprawling over his chair and onto the ground; an action which was so unlike him that he'd gotten off lightly (although I'd had a word with him about it - I didn't want him getting into trouble over me). Since then he'd befriended one of Helen Blackthorn's younger siblings and had carried on as normal, for the most part.

Only... Now that my normality had come into question, Max's interest in exactly what it was that made me different had increased. Considering that had previously been zero, I found it quite noticeable.

* * *

"So, do you two live together now?" Asked Max over dinner. I still had food in my mouth, so Magnus was the one to reply first.

"Not yet." He said, much to everybody's surprise, even my own.

Not that I didn't envision us living together at some point in the future... But I hadn't really thought about it, and Magnus' instant response made it seem like he had.

"We haven't actually talked about that." I told Max after I'd swallowed. I tried to cover my awkwardness with laughter. Unfortunately that never works.

"Though you do stay with me from time to time." Magnus pointed out. He then turned his attention to my Mother and started to change the subject. "Did you teach your Son to cook? He has your talent."

"Like how Father stays here from 'time to time'." Izzy said, providing unnecessary air-quotes like she was clarifying something.

Mother shot her a look, which could have been about the interruption, but probably had more to do with her bringing our Father up. Seeing as it looked like a sensitive subject, I didn't ask. If they wanted to get together again that was really their own business and I was sure they'd announce it when they were ready.

Simon, sensing that the conversation was about to take a turn for the worse, dropped the millionth compliment he'd given my Mother that night. Clearly I'd been right on the money with the guilt thing. Isabelle's boyfriend did not want any efforts made for his sake to go unappreciated. This is just one of the reasons I liked Simon as a potential family member.

He was even first to offer to take the dishes.

* * *

"So..." Magnus said, lounging in the passenger side seat as he usually did on the way home from my Mother's. This time we'd brought my car so I wouldn't need to worry about being uninsured. By now we were almost at Magnus' place. "That's a 'no' to us living together?"

"Well, not right now." I said, in the nicest tone I could muster. It sucked that I had to keep my eyes on the road. This wasn't about me being mad at him or anything. It was about going at a steadier pace.

"Have I done something to offend you?" Magnus asked, missing my intention completely. "You seemed happy to stay with me after the Zach thing."

I groaned.

"I don't want to talk about the Zach thing. I just think it's too soon, that's all." I told Magnus. I pulled the car up to park and faced my boyfriend properly. He seemed to be searching my face for honesty.

"So should I not invite you up?" He asked, placing his hand over mine on the gearstick. I let go of the car part and held onto him instead.

"Oh I don't know about _that_..."

* * *

**A new family-time chapter; I hope that you readers enjoyed it. I should post the next chapter 'Spontaneous' in the near future. Thank you very much for reading.**


	61. Spontaneous

Magnus always felt strangely all-encompassing when we were pressed together. I was smaller than him, and he just seemed to be all around me. Through the entrance to his apartment I had to stand up on my toes to kiss him, after the door was shut he hoisted me up so I was essentially sat on his linked forearms. I used my own arms around his neck as a support and found it was a much more convenient position.

It couldn't have been easy to walk with a teenage boy clinging onto him, but Magnus didn't put me down until his bed was below us. The sheets smelled like Magnus while Magnus smelled more like fruit-flavoured alcohol and tobacco. He didn't smoke in the apartment because of his fabrics; but outside was fair game. The funny thing was that he didn't seem addicted. Sometimes when he wasn't paying attention I'd hide Magnus' cigarettes, or throw them out altogether, and he wouldn't even notice.

No. Magnus' addiction, I thought as my shirt got pulled over my head, was something else entirely.

* * *

"I have something for you." Magnus announced; stroking my hair that way he did when I was dozing off.

"Again?" I asked, not stirring my head from the pillow. I wasn't so sure a round two was on the table, I was pretty tired.

Magnus started to chuckle and kissed my forehead softly. I nuzzled closer.

"Not that." He said, thankfully. When he started to get up I groaned in protest.

Well, now I was going to be cold. I pulled his side of the quilt around me - if he wanted it then he shouldn't have left - sat up a little and watched Magnus trawl through the clothes on the floor.

In all fairness, most of them were just a result of him being messy, not our activities.

Eventually Magnus found the jeans he'd been wearing, but when he looked in the pocket he must not have found what he was looking for, because he went down on his hands and knees to search the floor.

It afforded a nice view, however I was beginning to get curious.

"What are you looking for?" I asked. Without Magnus there with me the logical part of my brain - the part that told me I should be getting home - was starting to kick in. I started to get up myself.

"No, Darling, you just stay there." Magnus ordered with a playfully pointed finger.

"I need to get home." I told him. I had work to go to in the morning, staying the night didn't feel like it would be a very clever move.

And yet I stayed put.

"Found it!" Magnus hissed successfully.

When he raised a closed fist in the air in triumph I raised an eyebrow at him. Smiling, Magnus crawled up the mattress towards me. I held onto the quilt I was now bundled up in and he sat in front of me cross-legged.

His expression was like Max's when he went to open his Christmas stocking every year. I couldn't help but smile back at him.

"Hold out your hands and close your eyes." Magnus grinned excitedly. I resisted the urge to face palm.

"Exactly how young do you think I am?" I asked with a roll of the eyes for good measure.

All Magnus did was pull an expectant face back at me, so I complied and closed my eyes. When I held my hands outstretched I felt a small, weighty object drop into them, and when I opened my eyes I saw that it was a silver key.

"So you don't get trapped in my apartment again." Said Magnus, proudly. "Of course, I'm omitting the part of this speech where I ask you to move in full-time."

"Tactful." I smirked, knowing the really tactful thing would have been to keep that last part to himself.

I passed Magnus' key from hand to hand a couple times. I'd held many awe-inspiring items in the past, but they were parts in somebody else's story. For me, personally, just this was huge. Who would have thought that one day a man would be giving me a key to his place and contemplating us living together?

I launched forward and hugged Magnus without warning. He fell backwards, laughing. "So you'll take it?"

"Of course I will." I smiled. "Thank you."

Magnus seemed satisfied with my reply. We laid there in the awkward position I'd fallen on him, with the thick quilt in between us, until he rolled onto his side. Now our heads were on the wrong end of the mattress and the covers were doing nothing for either of us.

I went to get up and change ends but Magnus pulled me back down again as soon as I put his key on the beside cabinet.

"I'm not going anywhere." I said. "Just up by the pillows."

"The pillows are _so_ far away!" Magnus complained theatrically and held me against himself with my back pressed to his chest.

"Magnus!" I laughed, kicking my legs and sparing a thought to the fact all my weight was currently on top of him. "I'm going to crush you!"

"I can fix that." Magnus sounded as though he were smirking behind me. All of a sudden we were flipped so that I was chest-down on the bed. Magnus leaned on his elbows so that the crushing problem wasn't reversed onto me.

I most definitely did not think about the fact we were both completely bare. Nope. Not _at all_.

"I hope you're not planning-"

"I'm not planning anything." Magnus said in a voice which made a mockery of innocence.

He kissed the back of my neck and spine.

I rolled my eyes again. "Of course you're not."

"No." Said Magnus. "I'm far to spontaneous for planning."

Now, that I could believe.

* * *

"Morning Alec!" Said Tessa happily. Her voice was in tune with the ringing of the bell attached to the door.

Tessa's nose was, as usual, firmly stuck in her book. She barely looked up for a while. When she did she caught me trying to smooth my hair down in one of the ornate mirrors which were dotted around.

"Long night?" She asked, with a knowing and ever-so-slightly judgemental smile. The kind I would give to Izzy when she had a hangover even though she was too young – in theory – to drink in the first place.

I smiled back despite myself. "You could say that."

"The boyfriend?" Tessa questioned; right on the money. She slipped her bookmark between two pages and put the old volume under the counter where it wouldn't be mistaken for merchandise.

"If you look up the word 'insatiable' in the dictionary, you'll find a little picture of Magnus Bane." I informed her. I also gave a little extra thanks to the Angel - in my head of course - that I didn't have a sitting-down office job anymore.

The corners of Tessa's mouth turned up slightly like she was trying not to smile.

"I know a boy like that." She said, pushing her hair back from her face and blushing a little.

A lot of people hide behind their hair when they're nervous or embarrassed. Tessa hid behind her hands and played with her hair instead. Tessa also didn't talk about guys a whole lot unless they were fictional; so I was surprised to hear about this guy in her life.

"I don't know about that." I joked. Magnus was certainly the only glitter-loving polyamorous bisexual sex-addict I'd ever met. I decided to tone down my phrasing out loud, in light of the fact I still didn't know Tessa all that well. That and customers were beginning to filter in. "Magnus is pretty... Quirky."

"Oh, Alec." Tessa laughed, coming out from behind the counter to get involved on the shop floor. "You don't know the _meaning_ of 'quirky_'_."

* * *

**Chapter up. I'm not sure I'm completely happy with it but there's only so many times I can re-write something before I feel the need to just move forward. So I hope you liked it, at least. Thank you for reading! Next up should be "Common Interest".**


	62. Common Interest

Jace looked like he was going to be sick seeing the hall leading up to Magnus' apartment. He was the_ biggest_ cleaning fanatic. He took a step inside by pure force of will, with eyes darting all around frantically. I imagined in his mind he was planning how he would want to tackle the place. Probably douse it in gasoline and light a match.

"Why are you trying to torture me?" Jace asked on the way up the stairs. His hand hovered above the railing but he thought better of it and shoved it into his pocket. I rolled my eyes.

It was opening night of Isabelle's play. Her 'end-of-year' production had become an early-November production when the school board decided Shakespeare wasn't Christmas-y enough. Jace was tagging along with Magnus and me to see it.

Why wasn't he going with Clary? Well, his girlfriend - the art student - had been very involved in the play's production from the beginning and was already at the school.

"You could have just met us there." I said. When I tried the door handle I found the place was locked, Magnus never bothered to lock it when he was in so that meant he wasn't home yet.

"Gone stag? Unlikely." Jace snorted. "I'd have to fight the girls off with a chair."

"Like a lion tamer?" I questioned him while I dug around for my key. The image had just been too funny to resist mentioning.

"Exactly." Jace smirked, though his posture was uneasy and eager to get away from the mess.

Jace _did_ have other options. I would have told him to go with Maia and Jordan but I knew that was also unlikely. Then there was Simon and his band mates but hell would need to freeze over before Jace joined them anywhere without the rest of us.

It was sort of weird letting Jace into the apartment when Magnus wasn't there. I took out my phone so I could let Magnus know and hoped that he would come home soon so that the awkwardness would be reduced. He wouldn't mind. I wouldn't have just let my friend inside if I thought that Magnus would mind. But still…

Jace let out a low whistle while he looked around. When I put my phone back into my pocket he was already walking around in the living space, putting Magnus' magazines into a neat little pile.

"Nice place." He said, coming over when he was done and giving me a pat on the back. "Your Daddy complex is paying off."

I made an indignant noise and gave my friend a sizable shove into one of the seats.

"I don't have a... One of those." I said, picking up the Chairman. I didn't want to repeat Jace's embarrassing phrasing. "And I don't actually live here, anyway."

"What do _you_ call it when a guy disowns his Dad and starts dating another older, married man?" Jace asked with another smirk. He did that entirely too much.

"Co-incidental timing." I said offhandedly. Jace raised an eyebrow.

The line of conversation ended when the front door opened and two people walked in, chattering away. Magnus and Camille both had shopping bags. He was carrying more, but I was pretty sure a lot of them actually contained her things.

It was always interesting to watch the ex-couple together.

Something about them made it feel as though they were inside a bubble or behind a sheet of glass. They had this way of looking at each other that expelled the rest of us. Although Camille may have said that the two of them were never _in love_; the bond between them was something undeniable.

"Jace, nice to see you." Magnus made himself smile. It wasn't that he didn't like Jace; he was just slightly weary of being punched again.

Magnus dumped his bags unceremoniously on the floor. The Chairman's ears pricked up but he didn't stir from the nap he was now taking in my arms. I didn't know how to put him down without getting mewled at so I just kept hold.

"Cammie, this is Alec's friend Jace." Magnus introduced. "Jace, my ex-wife."

"A pleasure." Camille purred. She looked at Jace like he was a display put there for her own viewing. I wasn't sure if she had always been like that with people or if it was a bad habit she'd picked up from Woolsey somewhere along the line.

Of course Jace wasn't fazed at all. He quite openly considered himself to be an Angel-like specimen. In fact the Jace of the pre-Clary era would have been confidently flirting away by this point. As it was, he was polite enough to agree that it was 'a pleasure' and strike up a conversation with that typical line:

"I've heard so much about you."

"And none of it was good." Magnus joked, giving me a nudge and waking the cat. Chairman Meow leapt down and went to rub against the Actress' legs for attention.

"Isn't he just the _worst_?" Camille sighed playfully, giving the kitten a quick pet. "What a thing to say."

"Is Camille coming to Isabelle's play?" Jace asked me in a quiet voice. "You don't think she'll kind of, you know, stand out?"

In spite of my friend's attempt to be subtle, Camille heard this. Naturally. She batted her long eyelashes in an oddly innocent way for somebody who was so...

Well. It was_ Camille_.

"Play?" She repeated. She glanced between the three of for a better explanation.

"My sister is playing Juliet tonight." I told her.

"Your sister is an _actress_?" Camille gasped. She stood up bolt straight from stroking the cat and appeared to be completely shocked. "She's an actress and you didn't tell _me_?"

I was getting a strong sense of déjà vu, here. Didn't I have a similar conversation with Magnus about masquerade outfits? By the Angel, I was bad at relaying information to people. It didn't help that half the time I wasn't sure what people needed to know.

"I didn't think you'd care." I said. Cam wasn't even remotely shy about telling people when they were boring her; why would I strike up a conversation about a high school play starring people she didn't even know?

"Of course I care!" Camille groaned dramatically. "Magnus, you really should have said something."

"It slipped my mind…" He murmured; never all that effected by her theatrics.

"Is she signed to an agent?" Camille asked. She fluttered her hands expressively as she spoke. "Alexander, you _must_ remind me to introduce her to mine."

"You haven't even seen her act." Jace commented.

It did seem odd for Cam to make an investment without even meeting my sister. She looked at Jace as if she'd forgotten he was there. She really did seem to think he was part of the decor, being surprised to hear him speak as I would be if one of Magnus' stage lights chipped in on the conversation.

"That _is_ a point." Camille said after some consideration. She clapped her hands together when she found the solution. "I'll be needing you boys to take me to this play!"

Now; don't get me wrong. I knew that having connections could do Isabelle a world of good if she was going to take up acting as a serious career choice. The only thing was that Izzy was a proud sort of person. She probably _would_ accept Camille's help, but on the off chance she _wouldn't_... I didn't want to put my sister under any sort of pressure by turning up to school with Cam and a golden ticket, so to speak. Besides, Jace had been right when he said Camille would draw attention. People were supposed to be watching the _play_.

But how was I supposed to explain all that without being offensive? I wracked my brain trying to come up with something. Jace and Camille both looked at me expectantly. That was when Magnus came to my rescue.

"It's sold-out, Cammie, there's no room for you." He said.

"I'm sure I can buy somebody's seat from them." Camille replied. Her voice sounded bored with the excuses already. "I _must_ meet Isabelle."

"I'll invite her over some time." Magnus offered, sounding just as bored with Camille's stubbornness. I guess he'd been dealing with it for years.

The Actress looked as though she were about to concede. Suddenly her eyes lit up with inspiration. She clapped her hands again.

"You can bring her to Woolsey's party!" She announced.

I wasn't aware that there was a party coming up. Jace mouthed 'Woolsey Scott?' at me, and his gold eyes got wider when I nodded.

"We need to get going." Said Jace, glancing as his phone. Camille's unexpected enthusiasm had distracted us. I checked the time too and was relieved to see we weren't too late to make it in time.

"I'll think about it." Magnus told his ex-wife as we all made our way out.

"You'll do it." Camille said confidently. Her tone was ever-so-slightly warning, and I had to wonder what kind of threat she could possibly make. "Or I shall be very cross with you."

Magnus only chuckled. When Cam cracked a smile too it became clear that the dark edge to her statement was some kind of inside joke.

When we got outside Magnus walked Camille towards her car so that he could throw her bags into the back. Somehow he'd ended up carrying them all this time.

"Bring your friend, too!" Camille called over her shoulder just as I was about to take Jace to Magnus' parking space. Her eyes locked with Jace's for only a second. "Woolsey loves a little extra decoration."

* * *

**Hope the chapter was good, I sort of felt like I was cramming a lot in but we'll see how it goes down with you readers. Thank you for reading and for your reviews, next chapter should be 'Big Opening'.**


	63. Big Opening

"Well. She was interesting." Said Jace.

I sat in the back seat with him while Magnus drove because I didn't want him to feel like he was being carted around like a spare tyre. It did mean I couldn't read my boyfriend's face so well, though.

"She can be a little... full-on." Magnus contributed. He sounded almost like he was apologising for her.

I tried to remember the impression I'd gotten when I'd first met Camille. Then I shook my head because technically that had been on a day she'd overlooked me almost completely and focused on bickering with Magnus.

He'd broken their sacred agreement to keep one another informed of whoever they were involved with, after all.

Camille had once explained to me how it had just been an expected courtesy. When you sleep with a person, you are essentially sleeping with everybody they'd ever slept with. Since that conversation I'd made a discrete doctors appointment to be tested (clean, by some miracle) and tried not to think too hard about that.

"So, this party?" Asked Jace.

Camille had successfully thrown a log on the fire that was Jace's ego when she called him 'decoration'. She and Magnus, who lived in a world where appearances were a huge deal, probably viewed that as a high compliment. I didn't really get it, given that decorations weren't remotely useful objects, but Jace had taken it well.

"Ah, yes." Magnus mused. "Alexander, Darling, would you like to come to a party?"

I rolled my eyes and kicked the back of Magnus' seat lightly. Of course I'd be going, chances were that Magnus had already agreed on my behalf anyway.

"I'll make sure you get the details." I told Jace. "I could use some normal people at one of these things."

Magnus made an amused noise when I referred to my friends as being normal. I kicked his seat again and Jace smirked at the two of us.

* * *

The School foyer was busy. In addition to the students who'd come to see the play; there were also parents and siblings and other extended family members. I recognised more than three quarters of them from years of exposure. These were the people who'd filled the hallways and the classrooms and the bleachers I had always been surrounded by.

There was something very comforting and home-like about being there again. I kept getting small urges to do things like talk to Mr Starkweather about extra-credit assignments, or ask Sebastian Verlac if he was coming to track after school.

Jace and I did wave to our old team mate politely across the room, but he was deep in conversation and only nodded back. At least, before he did a double take and nudged the person he was talking to. I was confused by the way they were both staring, for a moment.

Then I noticed a number of other people looking and realised what was going on.

A few months ago, several embellished stories about Magnus and I had been 'the' gossip at this School. I didn't even take it into consideration before I came; but what were they thinking now that I turned up on site with him?

"Don't panic." I heard Jace mutter quietly, knowing exactly what was on my mind. "Nobody is going to say a word to you about it."

"People talk, Darling." Magnus added and twinned our fingers together like he hadn't a care in the world. He smirked and kissed that hand. "Let them think the bad man corrupted you. You know it doesn't matter."

And I did. I'd gotten over this sort of pettiness and gossip a long time ago. Now I was here to watch my sister outperform everybody in her drama class and to cheer when she took her bow. Not to call people out on their misperceptions.

"It doesn't matter." I repeated. I squeezed Magnus' hand and managed to grin at Jace. "Shall we go find Clary?"

Jace's girlfriend was actually hanging out with Max and a group of his friends. They all seemed to be gaining on her height-wise and it made me want to laugh. Julian Blackthorn's hands were stained funny colours in different places and he was asking Clary about the set she'd helped to paint. Budding artist.

When we approached she smiled at Jace as he messed up my brother's hair. Max was grinning while he tried to fend him off. He thought the absolute world of Jace. My best friend was like another older brother to him; only with the added cool-factor which came from not _actually_ _being_ his brother.

When he was done squirming, Max explained that our parents were already in their seats. Then he took a few seconds to introduce Jace, Magnus and I to Julian. I was sure I'd met him in passing, but the Blackthorn brood was a big one to keep track of. I knew his older sister Helen best out of all of them. Now she was off dating my cousin and attending some College.

Max and Julian had been getting on like a house on fire since that incident they'd had in class with the homophobic kids. I internally grimaced. I hate the word 'homophobic'. The people it applies to aren't _afraid_ of gay people. 'Homointollerant' would make a lot more sense.

Whatever the term was, I glanced around for any other kids in the room. I didn't want to cause any more grief for my brother or his new friend. But if there was anybody to keep an eye out for they didn't show it, and it seemed as though the boys couldn't care less.

"Shall we go join Maryse?" Magnus suggested as more people began to file in and get seated.

I gave him a kiss on the cheek and told them to go on ahead. I wanted to sneak in the back and wish Isabelle luck before she went on.

* * *

The school layout hadn't changed at all. It wasn't the kind of place to make a whole lot of renovations. The walls and lockers were the same colours they'd always been, and the changing room behind the auditorium still had that funny smell from all the things which got stored in there.

One half-dressed girl let out a squeak when I entered the little corridor leading back there, but her friend laughed at her.

"It's just Alec Lightwood." She teased.

If it hadn't been common knowledge that I wasn't going to check changing girls out before I left the school, it certainly was now. I smiled a little awkwardly and kept my gaze focused elsewhere. I'd seen Cam in her underwear once and that had been more exposed woman than I had any desire to see.

"Izzy around?" I asked, feeling bad that I didn't know their names when they seemed to know mine.

"Oh, just in there." Said one of them. I was going to assume she meant the main changing room.

"Freaking out again." Said the giggly one. She strode over to the door and stuck her head in to shout a warning. "Izzy's brother is coming in!"

There was a sound I could only describe as the sound of commotion. Half a minute later she took her head out of the room and looked at me with a nod.

"Go right ahead." She directed in a sing-song voice.

The room was very busy, which explained why some people had resorted to changing in the corridor. I had to scan for a while before I spotted Isabelle in the fray. She looked so relieved to see me that I knew coming backstage had been worth it.

Isabelle had plaited her hair the night before so that it would be wavy now and it was arranged around her face in a quasi-medieval style. She'd had her face made-up but I didn't mention how that just wouldn't have happened, given the time.

"You look amazing." I said instead. It wasn't a lie, either, she looked good. What she wasn't was accurate; but this was a small-scale school play, not a reproduction.

Izzy's broke into a smile which filled her whole face.

"Is it really busy out there?" She asked. I saw her hand shake a little.

Isabelle wasn't the nervous type - at least, she didn't seem that way to most people. I knew better. However, I also knew that as soon as she got out on stage it would take an expert to detect she was secretly terrified.

"It isn't too crowded." I said comfortingly. All the while I was thinking about the sold-out tickets and the brimming foyer.

"You're an awful liar." Izzy smirked. She always saw right through me.

"And you're a wonderful actress." I encouraged, giving the ends of her hair a quick tug - somewhere it was already loose, so that I wouldn't mess it up. "You're going to do amazingly tonight."

Izzy somehow managed to grin a little wider and threw her arms around me. There was a chorus of 'aww' sounds from some of the on-looking girls in the room. I shook my head.

"Thanks Alec, you're the best." Izzy called after me while I was on my way out. I heard a teacher come in to announce they had five minutes until showtime and hurried to go find a seat.

* * *

**Thank you for reading, here's hoping that you liked it. Uploading from my mobile again, so fingers crossed it posts as planned. The next chapter should be 'Ice-Cream and Invites'.**


	64. Ice-Cream and Invites

Juliet stared adoringly down at a Senior guy pretending to be dead. The two of them were poised on a table which was draped with a sheet; painted to look like a stone alter. Juliet was heartbroken, and torn to pieces, and talking of somebody named Romeo.

"O churl! Drunk all, and left no friendly drop to help me after!" She tossed aside a glass test-tube from the School's science lab and an on looking teacher winced when it smashed.

"I will kiss thy lips;" Said Juliet, caressing the face of the Senior. "Haply, some poison yet doth hang on them, to make me die with a restorative."

Trembling, she kissed him sweetly as any girl would kiss her first love.

"Thy lips are warm!" She gasped. Her eyes welled with glistening tears as some members of a drama club called 'Which way?' from behind plywood scenery.

"Yea, noise? Then I'll be brief." Juliet said to herself, resolutely.

"O happy dagger! This is thy sheath!" She cried, snatching a plastic toy dagger from the table. She plunged it at her own chest, the blade portion retracted into the base and a blood pack in her dress burst, soaking a little of the fabric in crimson.

"There rest," Choked out Juliet's final words as she collapsed onto the table. "And let me die."

* * *

I was sure that people had never cheered a performance at our school as much as they cheered for that one. I certainly hadn't. I wasn't a theatre person; the whole suspension of disbelief thing was lost on me. But somehow I'd believed that Isabelle was Juliet for the entire duration of the play; and I was so proud of her.

This time when I went towards the backstage, the whole family came with me to gush over my baby sister. She told us all to cut it out and that we were being embarrassing - but I knew she loved it really. Especially when our Father complimented her. He was notoriously difficult to please.

"We should go out to celebrate." Mother suggested. She handed the bag Izzy had been carrying to our Father. He looked at it like it was a foreign object. My sister was one of those girls who used a handbag for school; not a rucksack.

I took the bag from him before his masculine ego could suffer too badly. Not that I really wanted to carry it either, but I was way over being judged by all the people around and figured that it didn't really matter. What mattered was taking Izzy out for ice-cream to reward her job well-done.

Max said goodbye to his friends. I watched curiously from a couple feet away and noticed that the Blackthorn boy was the last to leave. I couldn't help but wonder... I walked over to where Max was now stood alone, out of earshot from the rest of our group.

"Just, out of interest..." I ventured as the two of us followed the rest of our family at a small distance. "You and Julian?"

"What about us?" Max pulled a confused face at me. I gave him a look and moments later he stopped in his tracks. His mouth dropped open. "Ew! No!"

"I'm just _checking_." I insisted, almost laughing at his over the top reaction. Max had been becoming more curious about my orientation and growing in defensiveness lately. I had figured that I should ask about it just in case there was more to it than simply being a supportive sibling. Clearly I was way off, but no harm done.

"Julian has this _giant_ crush on Emma Carstairs-" Max babbled quickly. "And I'm- Well I'm just _not_-"

"Okay, okay." I interrupted, giving my little brother a nudge before he hurt his brain thinking about it too hard. I could tell he was trying to come up with way to say 'not like you' without sounding rude. "You don't need to come-out-straight to me."

Max smiled as if I'd taken a weight off his shoulders. Our Father called back to us about dawdling so we got a move on.

I was surprised to see that our Mother and Father had travelled to the school together. He was driving her car. Admittedly it used to be the family car - he'd driven it all the time when I was a kid - but things were supposed to be different now.

Max and Izzy didn't seem to find it weird. The new developments I was seeing weren't so new to them. I'd have to sit my sister down and get updated sometime soon. I hated being on the outside looking in at my own family.

Simon was filling the seat which would usually be mine. I saw Izzy cuddle into his side and knew that he probably felt awkward about that with her parent's right there. He was always quite careful that way.

I threw my sister's bag into their boot and made my way over to Magnus' car. Jace and Clary were already in the back seat while my boyfriend leant on the drivers-side door.

"Alexei will love her." He said.

I felt like I was meant to know what he was talking about. I didn't, though. I let my face show my confusion.

"Who will love who?" I asked him. Meanwhile I walked around to the passenger door.

Magnus laughed over the hood of the car.

"Cammie's agent will love your sister." He clarified. "If you want to introduce them."

"Depends." I said, swinging down into my seat. "Did you ever sleep with this 'Alexei'?"

"Woah, Alec." Jace commented. He placed his hands over Clary's ears as if to protect her innocence. Nice try. Nobody who dated Jace had any - and if they did then they didn't keep it for very long.

"What difference does that make?" Magnus asked. I did note that he was choosing not to give an answer. Which usually meant the affirmative.

"It speaks for his moral character." I said, which seemed like a perfectly mature reason to ask. I didn't want to introduce my sister to somebody immoral, after all.

"If you consider _me_ to have strong enough 'moral character' to meet your family," Said Magnus. "Then I can honestly call Alexei de Quincey a Saint."

"You met my family before I knew about your... lifestyle." I pointed out. I wouldn't exactly have brought him home knowing he was already in a relationship. Come to think of it, I didn't bring him home at all. He turned up under a guise one evening. "And even then, you introduced yourself."

"Moral enough to have my wicked way with you." Magnus muttered.

I flushed and Jace covered Clary's ears again. She tried to swat him off uselessly.

"_Seriously_, guys?" Said Jace, only mildly disgusted. He didn't want to hear about that any more than I wanted to hear about his activities with Clary. To be fair, I _did_ hear about his activities with Clary. Often. So I didn't apologise.

We followed my Parent's car to Taki's, which Magnus must have recommended. Otherwise they would have driven right past. It was a good choice, though. Izzy would like it in there and their desserts were really good. When we got inside the waitress let us push two tables together. It was a bustling sort of establishment, so not a lot of attention was paid to any of us.

We were short on chairs so I went to another table to ask for an extra. I wasn't expecting the brunette to be Tessa when she turned to face me.

"Small world!" I said, quite surprised.

"Alec!" Tessa gasped. The extra expression in her eyes always made up for their boring colour. "How unexpected!"

"Mind if I steal this chair?" I asked her. There were two males at the table sitting across from Tessa, but their group was already eating and there was no fourth place setting, so it must have been just the three of them.

I wondered if either of these two was the guy she'd been talking about at work. They were giving each other sceptic looks, probably wondering who I was. I gave them an awkward kind of smile so I didn't seem ignorant.

"Of course." Said Tessa. She looked over her shoulder at the group settling into place. Izzy, Magnus and Max were watching me curiously while the rest of them were checking menus. "Is that your family?"

"The little one with glasses and the girl beside him are my younger siblings." I filled her in with a smile. Some teens feel uncomfortable or embarrassed to admit when their relatives are around. I was not one of them. I was proud of my family - strange as they may have been.

"Well this is James. And William." Tessa told me. I said 'hi' to them both, but I didn't have much to go on conversation-wise. This was the first I'd heard of them. "But look at me, keeping you here. Go have fun, I'll see you tomorrow."

So I did just that. We all congratulated Izzy on a job well-done and talked about how many more performances she had, what was next for her. I almost told her about our chat with Cam right there and then; but it seemed like a big thing to drop in the middle of such a light gathering. I did, however, invite her to Woolsey's.

Izzy got very excited and launched into a chat with Magnus about what she should be wearing while my parents tried to figure out whether or not they approved or not. I hoped that they'd land on 'approved'. A get-together at Woolsey Scott's place was probably a damn lot safer than any given night in Pandemonium.

In the end they didn't intervene with Isabelle. They did, however, step in when Max wanted to come.

* * *

**Thank you for reading! I was going to post later on but I'm majorly excitable today because my baby sister is being born - so I wanted to do it earlier. I should post the next chapter 'The Tessa Triangle' very soon, too.**


	65. The Tessa Triangle

Magnus could tell that something was on my mind. Then again, so could a lot of people. I wasn't particularly great at covering things up.

"Darling..." Magnus cooed, snaking his arms around me. We were lazing on his couch again but I was paying even less attention than usual to the boring modelling shows he liked to watch. "What's the matter?"

I shook my head. Nothing was the matter, per say. The truth was that I'd been thinking about work. Well, not even work exactly. Something I _heard_ at work. Something about Tessa's love-life which had really been playing on me.

"You remember I pointed out Tessa last night?" I asked. Magnus had noticed I'd made small talk with her at Taki's the night before. I wasn't exactly an extrovert, so that had been a pretty clear signal that I actually knew her.

"The one with the handsome friend?" Magnus asked.

I felt my jaw clench involuntarily. Tessa had had two friends with her but Magnus had only noticed one of them. That was because this one had had black hair, blue eyes and was much better looking than most people in the busy establishment.

Basically, the exact kind of person you could use as bait in a Magnus-trap, if such a thing existed.

"Yes, her." I confirmed, ignoring Magnus' comment about the friend whose name I didn't recall. Not that I'd _intentionally_ put it out of mind, or anything. "Well, at work today..."

* * *

Tessa was late that Morning, which did happen occasionally. I opened the shop myself with the key she'd given me for instances like this. Inwardly I was quite impressed by the way my keychain was slowly gaining mass.

Anyway, aside from counting keys, I was overseeing the browsing would-be-customers and wondering what was keeping Tessa that day. Had she gone home with one of those guys? Both of them, perhaps? She didn't seem like the type to do something like that. Then again I'd come to recognise the 'type' as being a friend of Camille Belcourt's, which surely wasn't the _only_ criteria.

When Tessa showed up at last I was actually just closing a good sale. The shop owner beamed proudly at me as the man I was selling to told me details of when he'd come pick his new cabinet up. Tessa thanked him, took his cheque and put it through the register for cashing later. When the customer went on his merry way, she turned to me.

"It was so funny seeing you out last night!" Tessa smiled. "What a small world we live in."

"I never took you for a Taki's kind of girl." I replied.

Tessa had this really classic aura about her. She seemed like she'd be much happier in a quiet tea-room where she could read works of classic literature undisturbed. A bustling joint like that one was not where I would have pinned her at all.

"I'm not, actually." Tessa laughed lightly. Clearly she was not at all surprised that I had made that assumption. "But Will likes it there."

I tried to put a label on which one of the guys had been Will and came up short. Tessa had introduced her companions in a very general way; like they came as a set. Maybe the two of _them _were actually the couple?

Maybe I was more like my sister than I thought I was, because my curiosity was getting the better of me. I knew it was prying and poking my nose in on somebody else's business; but I just had to ask.

"It's really none of my business..." I said, distracting myself and trying to look nonchalant by staring at the engravings on a mirror. "But are you dating both of those guys?"

"Oh, no!" In her reflection Tessa looked aghast and her face flushed red so fast I was sure I'd hit the mark. Or that she at least thought about both men that way. "Neither, actually."

I frowned. Given all the ideas I'd had, that didn't seem to follow.

"Neither?" I asked. Just to be sure I'd heard right. I knew I was snooping, but surely I couldn't have been that bad at reading people.

I looked at Tessa and she stared off into space with a rueful smile like she was watching the ghost of a loved one. I regretted prying into her life before I knew her very well; I'd gotten too comfortable too quickly. It wouldn't be the first time in my life that I had made that kind of mistake.

"Sorry." I said, now that my brain was actually engaging my mouth. My hope was that she would forget I said anything. Instead she sighed.

"I love them both dearly, but they're practically brothers." Tessa explained. "I could never have decided between the two of them. So nothing ever came of my feelings."

"Just your feelings?" I asked, knowing if there was ever a decision to be made then it couldn't only be her heart which was invested.

Tessa shook her head and corrected herself.

"Of any of our feelings." She said, sadly.

* * *

"It just doesn't seem fair." I sighed after telling Magnus an abridged version of what had happened that morning.

"Such is the nature of monogamy, Alexander." Magnus' voice was tired; almost bored sounding. Spouting such lines came very naturally to him. "It's heartbreak waiting to happen."

"I never said that your way was the answer." I said. I didn't want Magnus to misunderstand me. It wasn't as if I was routing for the three of them to throw caution to the wind and be all together at once.

"No." Magnus agreed. "Just that your way will end in tears."

I exhaled. I didn't really consider relationships between two people 'my' way. It was just _the_ way. That I happened to be a strong advocate of. But even _I_ found Tessa's story a little tragic. Three people in love and none of them could be together. No wonder Tessa read a lot; books always seemed to resolve their love triangles.

I shifted to lie in the crook of Magnus' arm and see his face properly. Absently, I started to play with his hair. It was so soft without the product in it.

"Your way almost ended in tears too." I reminded him. There was a time when I was convinced our relationship was past salvaging. There had been plenty of tears then.

"'Almost' is not 'did'." Magnus smirked down at me. "You know what did? You and Zach. Because you're monogamous."

"I'm not converting." I gave his hair a tug as I said it. No amount of discussion would change that and Magnus knew it.

He started to chuckle and kissed me on the nose.

"I know, Sweetpea." He smiled. "Nobody is asking you to."

* * *

**First of all, I'm sorry if this reads like a filler. I was asked about Tessa's love-life and the more I thought about it the more I thought it was the kind of thing Alec might ponder over, so I wanted to write something addressing that. Thank you for reading it!**

**Next chapter we're finally off to Woolsey's for 'Belated Bonfire Night'.**


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